Abstract
Research examining family influences on student motivation and achievement in school has generally focused on parental influences and has often been limited to one or two variables (e.g., parental expectations or aspirations, parental involvement in schoolwork). In the present study we interviewed high school seniors to examine whether and how family members affected their academic motivation and achievement. Interviews were coded holistically for the strength, affective tone, source, and types of familial influence. Emergent themes from the interview analyses revealed that students perceived a broad range of types and sources of familial influence on motivation. Interviews were divided into five prototypical patterns: Family Obligation, Family Pleasing, Family Support, Aversive Influence, and No Influence. The types of familial influence differed by cultural characteristics (generational status, native country) and by achievement level. Associations between the five patterns of family influence and existing theories of family influence are discussed.
Résumé
La recherche examinant des influences de famille sur la motivation et l’accomplissement d’étudiant à l’école s’est généralement concentrée sur des influences parentales et a été souvent limitée à un ou deux variables (par exemple, les espérances ou les aspirations parentales, la participation parentale aux devoirs). Dans la présente étude nous avons interviewé des seniors de lycée pour examiner si et comment les membres de famille ont affecté leur motivation et accomplissement universitaire. Des entrevues ont été codées globalement pour la force, la tonalité affective, la source, et les types d’influence familiale. Les thèmes émergents des analyses d’entrevue ont indiqué que les étudiants ont perçu une large gamme des types et des sources d’influence familiale sur leur motivation. Des entrevues ont été divisées en cinq modèles prototypiques: Engagement à la famille, satisfaction de la famille, appui de la famille, influence opposée, et aucune influence. Les types d’influence familiale ont différé par des caractéristiques culturelles (statut de generations, pays d’origine) et par le niveau d’accomplissement. Des associations entre les cinq modèles de l’influence de famille et les théories existantes d’influence de famille sont discutées.
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This research was supported by a grant from the W. T. Grant Foundation to the first author.
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Urdan, T., Solek, M. & Schoenfelder, E. Students’ perceptions of family influences on their academic motivation: A qualitative analysis. Eur J Psychol Educ 22, 7–21 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173686
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173686