Psychological Development and Education ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (4): 553-562.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2026.04.10

Previous Articles    

Differential Effects of Congruence and Incongruence in Parental Educational Anxiety and Involvement on Junior High School Students’ Learning Engagement

LU Furong1, JIANG Shitao1,2, WEN Mengyu1, WANG Lixian1, ZHANG Yali3, ZHANG Cai4   

  1. 1. School of Education Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006;
    2. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    3. Jiyuan Vocational and Technical College, Jiyuan 459000;
    4. Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875
  • Published:2026-07-04

PDF (PC)

Abstract: A tracking investigation was conducted on 1040 junior high school students. The response surface analysis of polynomial regression was used to explore the impact of the consistency between parents’ educational anxiety and educational involvement on junior high school students’ learning engagement, as well as the role of learning motivation. The results showed that: (1) Regarding congruence, when both parents were highly congruent (high anxiety-high involvement), junior high school students’ learning engagement was significantly higher. However, when examined separately, for the father group, the relationship presented an inverted U-shaped curve, with excessive levels leading to diminishing returns, while the mother group maintained a linear positive relationship; (2) Regarding incongruence, when both parents were at the “low anxiety-high involvement” level, junior high school students’ learning engagement was higher; (3) The learning motivation of junior high school students played a partial mediating role between mothers’ educational anxiety and educational involvement on one side and learning engagement on the other; no such mediating effect was found for fathers. The research results provide a new perspective for family education intervention and have important implications for promoting junior high school students’ learning engagement.

Key words: educational anxiety, educational involvement, learning engagement, academic motivation, response surface analysis

CLC Number: 

  • G442
Aiken, L. S., West, S. G., & Reno, R. R. (Eds.). (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage.
Bales, R. F., & Parsons, T. (Eds.). (2014). Family: Socialization and interaction process. Routledge.
Bowen, M. (Ed.). (1993). Family therapy in clinical practice. Jason Aronson.
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52(4), 664-678.
Cao, C., Chang, W., & Dong, H. (2024). Simply unidirectional? A cross-lagged panel analysis of the links between perfectionism, academic motivation and engagement. Educational Psychology, 44(9-10), 963-983.
Chen, F., Wang, J. H., Zhang, W. Y., Li, P. J.,Zeng, Y. D., & Zou, H. Y. (2024). The Relationship between Parental Educational Involvement and Learning Engagement among Chinese Middle School Students: The Mediating Effect of Gratitude and Hope. Behavioral Sciences,14(8), 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080687
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry,11(4), 227-268.
Edwards J. R., & Cable D. M. (2009). The value of value congruence. The Journal of Applied Psychology,94(3), 654-677.
Erel, O., & Burman, B. (1995). Interrelatedness of marital relations and parent-child relations: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 118(1), 108-132.
Festinger, L. (Ed.). (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Redwood City. CA: Stanford University Press.
Hays, S. (Ed.). (1996). The cultural contradictions of motherhood. Yale University Press.
Hill, N. E. (2015). Including fathers in the picture: A meta-analysis of parental involvement and students’ academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(4), 919-934.
Lerner, E. R., & Grolnick, S. W. (2020). Maternal involvement and children’s academic motivation and achievement: The roles of maternal autonomy support and children’s affect. Motivation and Emotion,44(3), 373-388.
Macana, E. C., Mirolli, T. Z., Silva, A. L. F., Lazaretti, L. R., Bianchi, L. L., Frio, G. S., & França, M. T. A. (2025). Do children study longer depending on their parents’ level of engagement? An analysis of factors related to Brazilian students’ engagement. EconomiA,26(1), 47-66.
Misra, G., & Prakash, A. (2012). Kenneth J. Gergen and social constructionism. Psychological Studies, 57, 121-125.
Ostroff, C., Shin, Y., & Kinicki, A. J. (2005). Multiple Perspectives of Congruence: Relationships between Value Congruence and Employee Attitudes. Journal of Organizational Behavior,26(6), 591-623.
Rickert, N. P., & Skinner, E. A. (2024). Parent and teacher involvement and adolescent academic engagement: Unique, mediated, and transactional effects. International Journal of Behavioral Development,48(1), 71-84.
Saeid, K., & Behnoosh, S. (2020). The mediating role of intrinsic motivation in the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction and academic engagement in agriculture students. Teaching in Higher Education,25(8), 959-975.
Schaufeli, W. B., Martinez, I. M., Pinto, A. M., Salanova, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). Burnout and engagement in university students: A cross-national study. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 33(5), 464-481.
Seginer, R. (2006). Parents' Educational Involvement: A Developmental Ecology Perspective. Parenting,6(1), 1-48. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327922par0601_1
Shanock, L. R., Baran, B. E., Gentry, W. A., Pattison, S. C., & Heggestad, E. D. (2010). Polynomial regression with response surface analysis: A powerful approach for examining moderation and overcoming limitations of difference scores. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25, 543-554.
Song, Y. Z., Wu, J. J., Zhou, Z. K.,Tian, Y., Li, W. N., & Xie, H. P. (2024). Parent-adolescent discrepancies in educational expectations, relationship quality, and study engagement: A multi-informant study using response surface analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 1288644. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1288644
Sun, J. J., Liu, T.,Gao, Y. F., Li, H., Chen, Y., Diao, H. B., … Zhang, L. P. (2022). Questionnaire development on measuring parents’ anxiety about their children’s education: Empirical evidence of parental perceived anxiety data for primary and secondary school students in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 1018313. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1018313
Toren, N. K., & Seginer, R. (2015). Classroom climate, parental educational involvement, and student school functioning in early adolescence: A longitudinal study. Social Psychology of Education,18(4), 811-827.
Ye, X., & Lu, Y. (2024). The Influence of Parents’ Educational Expectations on Children’s Development: The Chain Mediation Role of Educational Anxiety and Parental Involvement. Behavioral Sciences, 14(9), 779. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14090779
曾庆玉, 吴妮妮, 姚梅林. (2010). 家长投入及其影响子女学业成就的机制探析. 北京师范大学学报(社会科学版), (06), 39-45.
陈华仔, 肖维. (2014). 中国家长“教育焦虑症”现象解读. 国家教育行政学院学报, (02), 18-23.
陈英敏, 韩雪, 张元金, 吕慧芳, 刘晓然, 高峰强. (2015). 小学中年级学生父母教养方式、羞怯与社会适应的关系. 中国特殊教育, (10), 63-67.
方来坛, 时勘, 张风华. (2008). 中文版学习投入量表的信效度研究. 中国临床心理学杂志,16(06), 618-620.
耿羽. (2021). 莫比乌斯环: “鸡娃群”与教育焦虑. 中国青年研究, (11), 80-87.
侯芬, 伍新春, 邹盛奇. (2022). 青少年感知的父母教养投入特点及其相关影响因素. 华南师范大学学报(社会科学版), (04), 84-95+206.
简云龙. (2022). 学习动机与学业韧性的关系及其对教育结果的影响(硕士学位论文). 西南大学, 重庆.
雷鸿熠, 尹霞云. (2024). 父母学业支持对中小学生学习投入的影响: 基本心理需求的纵向中介作用. 中国健康心理学杂志,32(10), 1587-1593.
李明, 尚新华, 方晓义, 姬文广. (2022). 从父母教育卷入到学业成就: 自主支持与自主学习力的链式中介. 心理发展与教育,38(6), 839-847.
李叶青, 王赪, 任丽欣. (2024). 母亲育儿密集度及其与学前儿童社会情绪发展的关系: 母亲心理健康的遮掩作用. 学前教育研究, (01), 61-75.
刘畅, 伍新春, 邹盛奇. (2025). 父母协同教养与初中生学校适应: 教养投入和亲子依恋的作用及父母差异. 心理发展与教育,41(2), 226-234.
刘思含, 伍新春, 王歆逸. (2023). 父母教养方式的潜在类别及其与青少年学习投入和焦虑症状的关系. 心理发展与教育,39(5), 673-682.
刘思含, 伍新春, 王歆逸, 应洁峰. (2023). 父母教养压力对教养投入的影响: 配偶协同教养行为的调节效应. 心理科学,46(04), 857-864.
刘在花. (2015). 中学生学习投入发展的现状与特点研究. 中国特殊教育, (06), 71-77+85.
马月, 刘莉, 王欣欣, 王美芳. (2016). 焦虑的代际传递: 父母拒绝的中介作用. 中国临床心理学杂志,24(01), 23-27.
倪士光, 伍新春. (2011). 学习投入: 概念、测量与相关变量. 心理研究,4(01), 81-87.
宋冰. (2010). 初中生父母卷入与成就目标定向、考试焦虑、学业成绩的关系(硕士学位论文). 河北师范大学, 石家庄.
孙伦轩, 林小莉. (2018). 从“严父慈母”到“严母慈父”——子女管教严格程度的父母差异及其成因分解. 教育学术月刊, (08), 55-62.
唐杰, 林志扬, 莫莉. (2011). 多项式回归与一致性研究: 应用及分析. 心理学报,43(12), 1454-1461.
田宏杰, 王婧怡, 邓林园. (2024). 父母教育焦虑与青少年学业自我设限的“控制悖论”. 中国青年社会科学,43(02), 44-56.
伍新春, 郭素然, 刘畅, 陈玲玲, 郭幽圻. (2012). 社会变迁中父亲职能的凸显: 基于生态系统理论的分析. 华南师范大学学报(社会科学版), (06), 56-62+158.
肖建安. (2000). 生物性别与社会性别对性别语体形成的影响. 河南大学学报(社会科学版), (04), 74-76.
徐鑫锫, 朱莉, 李燕, 熊佳欣. (2022). 父母教养方式与亲子关系:基于主客体互倚模型的分析. 中国临床心理学杂志,30(06), 1423-1427+1432.
张宏如, 沈烈敏. (2005). 学习动机、元认知对学业成就的影响. 心理科学, (01), 114-116.
赵丽, 柳月, 沈书生. (2022). 在线学习中家长投入对其感知子女学业倦怠的影响——江苏省中小学在线教学调查研究报告之二. 华东师范大学学报(教育科学版),40(04), 29-42.
赵明仁. (2010). 农村中小学生的学习投入、心理感受与学业成绩. 课程·教材·教法,30(10), 20-25.
周浩, 龙立荣. (2004). 共同方法偏差的统计检验与控制方法. 心理科学进展,12(06), 942-950.
周孟秋, 周鸿. (2023). 家长教育焦虑对小学生学习品质和学习体验的影响——基于浙江省综合评价监测数据的分析. 上海教育科研, (10), 66-72.
朱新卓, 骆婧雅. (2023). “双减”背景下初中生家长教育焦虑的现状、特征及纾解之道——基于我国8省市初中生家庭教育状况的实证调查. 中国电化教育, (04), 49-56.
[1] LIU Ying, LIU Rude, MAO Chenying, LIN Jingmin, LIU Jiabin. Influence of Teacher Feedback Timing and Feedback Complexity on College Students’ Learning Engagement during Online Video Learning [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2026, 42(3): 408-417.
[2] ZHENG Tianpeng, ZHOU Xinran, LIANG Lichan, YUAN Keman, BIAN Yufang. Relationship between Parent-adolescent Discrepancies in Perceived Parental Warmth and Children’s Depressive Symptoms and Aggressive Behavior [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2025, 41(6): 869-880.
[3] XIE Li, JIN Hui, WANG Zhiying, HU Yufei, YANG Xilan, XI Juan. The Influence of Endogenous Power for Poverty Elimination on Impoverished College Students’ Learning Engagement: The Mediating Effect of Self-control and the Moderating Effect of Social Support [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2025, 41(3): 386-397.
[4] GAO Bin, ZHANG Dandan, ZHU Gen, CAI Yanxiang, GUO Yuxi. Proactive Personality and Online Learning Engagement in High School Students: The Sequential Mediation Effects of Online Learning Self-efficacy and Academic Expectation [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2024, 40(2): 224-230.
[5] CHEN Qishan, HE Jingyi. Anger Congruence and Interpersonal Relationships in Female College Roommates: A Moderated Polynomial Regression Model [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2024, 40(1): 55-63.
[6] ZHOU Xiaohui, LIU Yanxi, CHEN Xin, WANG Yiji. The Impact of Parental Educational Involvement on Middle School Students' Life Satisfaction:The Chain Mediating Effects of School Relationships and Academic Self-efficacy [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 691-701.
[7] SHA Jingying, ZHANG Xiangkui, LIU Qiandong. Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together? The Influence of Academic Motivation Comparison on Adolescents' Peer Selection [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 683-690.
[8] LI Cirong, YANG Yanyu, LI Chunxuan. Interparental Conflict, Adolescents' Daily Self-efficacy and Daily Learning Engagement: The Mediating Roles of Daily Negative Emotion and Daily Rumination in the Moderating Effects of Interparental Conflict Influence [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(2): 236-246.
[9] LI Ming, SHANG Xinhua, FANG Xiaoyi, JI Wenguang. From Parental Educational Involvement to Students’ Achievement: A Serial Mediation Model of Parental Autonomy Support and Self-regulation Learning Potential [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2022, 38(6): 839-847.
[10] WANG Guoxia, ZHAO Yang. A Meta-analysis about Teacher Autonomy-support and Student Academic Achievement: The Mediation of Psychological Need Satisfaction, Motivation and Engagement [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2022, 38(3): 380-390.
[11] GAO Bin, ZHU Suijing, WU Jingling. The Relationship between Mobile Phone Addiction and Learning Engagement in College Students: The Mediating Effect of Self-control and Moderating Effect of Core Self-evaluation [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2021, 37(3): 400-406.
[12] LIANG Xingli, HE Jin, ZHOU Jijun, LIU Pingping. The Influence of Cognitive Ability on Academic Performance of Junior Middle School Students: A Mediated Moderation Model [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2020, 36(4): 449-461.
[13] LI Yongzhan. The Impact of Parental Rearing Style on Learning Engagement among Senior High School Students: A Serial Mediation Effect Model [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2018, 34(5): 576-585.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited
  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!
Copyright 2018 © Editorial office of Psychological Development and Education
Supported by Beijing Magtech Co.Ltd