Chinese parental involvement, parenting self-efficacy, and children’s school readiness: analysis using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model

The Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model was employed to examine the relationships among parental involvement, parenting self-efficacy, and children’s school readiness. A total of 438 Chinese couples and their young children were recruited to participate in a two-wave longitudinal study over a 10-month period. The results indicated that the predictive effects of maternal involvement and paternal involvement on children’s school readiness were not significant. However, parenting self-efficacy played an indirect role between parental involvement and children’s school readiness. Specifically, maternal involvement positively affected children’s school readiness via an indirect association with maternal and paternal parenting self-efficacy. The positive impact of paternal involvement on children’s school readiness only occurred indirectly through their own parenting self-efficacy. The results revealed differences and interdependence of mothers and fathers in the parenting process. Our findings also highlighted several potential avenues for interventions for promoting school readiness among young children, including interventions focused on parental involvement and parenting self-efficacy.