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The role of parenting self-efficacy in childrenś social and academic behavior

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Abstract

A latent variable structural model was constructed to test the relations among mothers’ and fathers’ parenting self-efficacy (PSE), their loneliness, and their child’s peer-evaluated social competence, self-evaluated loneliness, teacher-evaluated motivational orientation, and academic skills. In order to do this, first the Self-Efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index (Coleman & Karraker, 2000) was applied to a sample of mothers (n=876) and fathers (n=696) to test the relevance of these parenting task categories to Finnish mothers and fathers. The results of the latent variable structural model indicated a strong relationship between both mothers’ and fathers’ loneliness and their PSE, consisting of Nurturance, Discipline, Recreation, and Participation factors. Moreover, there was a modest relationship between parents’ PSE and their child’s social competence and consequently between social competence and child’s loneliness. The relationship between PSE and child’s academic achievement were mediated via child’s social competence.

Résumé

Dans la présente étude, nous avons construit un modèle structural de variables latentes afin d’étudier les relations entre des variables observées telles que le sentiment d’auto-efficacité des parents (père et mère), leur solitude, ainsi que l’évaluation par pairs de la compétence sociale de l’enfant, l’évaluation de la solitude par les enfants eux-mêmes, et finalement l’évaluation par les enseignants de l’orientation motivationnelle et les habiletés académiques de l’enfant. A cette fin, nous avons d’abord appliqué l’indice de tâc he pour mesurer la perception d’auto-efficacité parentale (the Self-Efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index; Coleman & Karraker, 2000) auprès d’un certain nombre de mères (n=876) et pères (n=696). Sur la base de ces résultats, nous en avons jugé la pertinence pour exploiter ces catégories de tâches parentales chez les mères finlandais. Il ressort des analyses effectuées par l’intermédiaire du modèle structural des variables latentes qu’il y a une corrélation étroite entre la solitude et le sentiment d’auto-efficacité par l’intermédiaire du modèle structural des variables latentes qu’il y a une corrélation étroite entre la solitude et le sentiment d’auto-efficacité parental et ceci aussi bien chez des mères que des pères. Les facteurs qui ont été pris en compte sont: la Nutrition et les Soins de santé, la Discipline, les Loisirs et la Participation. En outre, il y avait une corrélation modèrée entre le sentiment d’auto-efficacité parental et la compétence sociale de leur enfant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Learning Research, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, FIN-20014, Turku, Finland

    Niina Junttila & Marija Vauras

  2. Department of Teacher Education, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, FIN-20014, Turku, Finland

    Niina Junttila, Marija Vauras & Eero Laakkonen

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  1. Niina Junttila
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Junttila, N., Vauras, M. & Laakkonen, E. The role of parenting self-efficacy in childrenś social and academic behavior. Eur J Psychol Educ 22, 41–61 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173688

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