Quality Matters More Than Quantity: Parent-Child Communication and Adolescents' Academic Performance

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: Adolescence and Youth Development SIG Poster Session

Abstract

This study examined the effects of parent-child communication, including both the quantity and quality aspect of communications, on American young adolescent children's (N = 1815, ages 14-15) academic performance through their self-concept, using an ECLS-K dataset. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for model evaluation. The results revealed that the quality of parent-child communication was positively associated with children's academic performance and this association can be mediated by adolescents' self-concept. However, the quantity of parent-child communication did not show direct or indirect association with adolescents' academic achievement. The findings suggest that efforts to improve the quality of parent-child communication and to strengthen the connection between high-quality communication and adolescents’ self-concept may benefit young adolescents’ academic development.

Authors

• Yue Zhang, Syracuse University

• Eunjoo Jung, Syracuse University