Does Parent Support Buffer Adolescents' Math Motivation When They Perceive Teacher Unfairness? Racial/Ethnic Group Comparison

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: Parent and Peer Socialization of Students' Motivational Beliefs (Table 13)

Abstract

Although adolescents marginalized in math (i.e., Black and Latinx) may perceive more teacher unfairness and display lower math motivation compared to White or Asians, parent support may be a protective factor. Using the data from the High School Longitudinal Study (N=13380), we tested the associations between perceived teacher unfairness and students’ math motivation and whether parent support moderates across race/ethnicity. Our findings indicated that perceived teacher unfairness negatively predicted students’ motivation across all groups. The interactions with parent communication were significant for White and Asians whereas parent STEM support buffered for Latinx students. Our mean-level differences suggested more positive experiences for Asians but varying experiences for those marginalized in math. This study emphasizes studying multiple racial/ethnic groups in motivation research.

Authors

• Glona Lee, University of California - Irvine
  Presenting Author

• Sandra D. Simpkins, University of California - Irvine
  Non-Presenting Author