Perception of parental control and its role in Chinese children's academic motivation

Abstract

The construct of parental control and its role in influencing children’s motivation in collectivistic cultures have been hotly debated. Two studies examined Hong Kong Chinese children’s perception of parental control and its relation with their academic motivation with sociocultural considerations. In Study 1, children (n = 24) were invited to participate in a focus group to report what parental control meant to them. The qualitative data obtained in the discussion were then used to construct questionnaires for investigating the perception of children from different income groups towards low and high level of parental controlling behaviors in Study 2. Children (N = 294) from lower and higher income groups were randomly assigned to complete the questionnaires consisting of either low or high control scenarios. Results indicated that children from different income families viewed parental control similarly. Mild forms of controlling behaviors were considered as signs of love and care, while intense forms were perceived as signs of control. Interaction effects were found for children’s perceived level of love and control towards the behaviors depicted in the scenarios and their mothers’ frequency of performing those behaviors in real life on their academic motivation. The present research provided a clearer conceptualization of the construct of parental control in Chinese societies and supported the applicability of the self-determination theory in the Hong Kong context.