Developmental Trajectories in Mathematical Performance Among Chinese Adolescents: The Role of Multi-Dimensional Parental Involvement

There is substantial evidence of the association between multiple parental involvement and mathematical performance, but the long-term features of these links remain unclear, in particular in China. This study investigated the 8-year trajectory of mathematical performance, and its associations with five forms of parental involvement. The sample consisted of 645 adolescents (50.39% girls; Mage = 10.5 years, SD = 0.50). Latent growth curve modeling showed upward linear growth in mathematics performance. Among five forms of parental involvement, parental educational expectation was the most powerful predictor. Gender differences and similarities were also found in the family-education nexus. The parental expectation was positively associated with their initial performance in mathematics across gender. The predicting roles of parent-child discussion about school and parental TV controls on the baseline level of mathematical performance and the association between parental expectation and the slope of mathematical performance were only identified among boys. This study highlighted the varied impacts of parental involvement on schooling at different developmental stages, and provided important implications for optimizing parenting and schooling.