Psychology

Examining the components and concomitants of parental structure in the academic domain

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Self-Determination Theory posits and research supports that caregiver autonomy support, involvement, and structure facilitate children's motivation and well-being. However, to attain a comprehensive understanding of these caregiving behaviors and thus make informed practical recommendations, their key components must be identified. While a significant literature examines autonomy support and involvement, structure has been less extensively researched. This study thus attempted to provide an in-depth exploration of parental structure. Drawing from past literature, six components were identified. Seventy-five seventh and eighth graders completed semi-structured interviews and students and parents completed questionnaires assessing structure, other parenting dimensions, and motivational outcomes in the academic domain. Findings indicate that structure (a) is multi-faceted, (b) is independent from autonomy support, and (c) makes unique contributions to children's motivation and school performance. Implications for providing facilitative contexts for children's motivation and success as well as for future work are discussed. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Publication Title

Motivation and Emotion

Publication Date

2010

Volume

34

Issue

3

First Page

266

Last Page

279

ISSN

0146-7239

DOI

10.1007/s11031-010-9176-7

Keywords

academic achievement, adolescent motivation, parenting, perceived competence, self-determination, structure

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