Wei-Wen Chen

Parental Involvement in Taiwanese Families: Father-Mother Differences

I I aiwan tas successfully transformed itself from an agrarian, labor-intensive economy into a leading global market for information and technology in the 21st century. This economic growth has brought changes to a number of Chinese traditions (Beckert, Strom, Strom, & Yang, 2006), including gender roles and parenting. For women, success in life traditionally has been measured by the achievements of their children. Taking care of one’s family and raising children are typically deemed maternal duties, and involvement in children’s education is often considered an extension of these responsibilities. Fathers, on the other hand, are typically viewed as the family disciplinarians and financial providers; traditionally, they have been less engaged than mothers in aspects of their children’s education (Beckert et al., 2006). However, the dynamic socioeconomic and political transformation in Taiwan has given rise to a more liberal, gender-conscious middle class advocating for gender equality, particularly with respect to women’s status and roles (Ho, Chen, & Kung, 2008).

Chinese mindset: theories of intelligence, goal orientation and academic achievement in Hong Kong students

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between theories of intelligence and goal orientations, and their joint connections to students’ academic achievement in the Chinese cultural context. A total of 418 university students in Hong Kong participated in the present study. The survey was administered to collect information on students’ beliefs about their goal orientations, theories of intelligence and their college grade point averages. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that beliefs in the incremental theory of intelligence contribute to students’ academic achievements by facilitating their endorsement of mastery goals and performance-approach goals. Students’ performance-avoidance goals have a negative association with academic success. Cultural factors and considerations are addressed to clarify further the culture-specific findings.

What my parents make me believe in learning: The role of filial piety in Hong Kong students' motivation and academic achievement

Chinese students are well-known for their academic excellence. However, studies that explore the underlying mechanism of how cultural factors relate to the motivational process and academic achievement of Chinese students have been limited. This study aimed to examine the role of filial piety in shaping Chinese students theories of intelligence so as to obtain a clearer understanding of the process by which parent-child connectedness is linked to Chinese students academic achievement. A sample of 312 university students in Hong Kong were assessed concerning their filial piety beliefs, theories of intelligence and academic achievement. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results indicated that different filial piety beliefs relate to students academic achievement by shaping different theories of intelligence. Reciprocal filial piety beliefs were found to facilitate an incremental view of intelligence, which in turn contributes to students academic achievement. Authoritarian filial piety beliefs were shown to be associated with an entity view of intelligence, which consequently deteriorates students academic achievement. Cultural views of motivational processes can shed light on how motivational beliefs are developed as a product of cultural or socialization processes, which, in turn, contribute to students academic success.

The relation between perceived parental involvement and academic achievement: The roles of Taiwanese students’ academic beliefs and filial piety

The excellent academic performance among East-Asian students has drawn international attention from educators and psychologists. However, the process that underlies student academic achievement for this particular group has rarely been documented. The present study examines how the relation between perceived parental involvement and Taiwanese students academic achievement is mediated by student academic beliefs (i.e., beliefs about effort, academic self-concept, and perceived control). The study further explores whether this mediating effect varies with types of filial piety. Participants were 468 first-year students from colleges and universities in Taiwan. Multiple-group mediating models were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated that, for the Taiwanese sample, students academic beliefs mediated the relation between perceived parental involvement and academic achievement. Furthermore, the mediational effect was significant for the reciprocal filial type, but not for the authoritarian filial type. The importance of the quality of the parent-child relationship and the internalization process related to childrens assumptions of their parents educational values indicate the need for a contextual view when examining predictors of student academic achievement.

The Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Style, Filial Piety, and Life Satisfaction in Hong Kong

This study examined the relationship between perceived parenting style, filial piety, and life satisfaction among Chinese young adults. A survey was administered to 395 university students in Hong Kong on their perceptions about their parents parenting practices, filial piety beliefs, and life satisfaction. The results suggest that perceived authoritative parenting is associated with reciprocal filial piety and contributes positively to the young adults life satisfaction. Both perceived authoritative and authoritarian parenting were associated with authoritarian filial piety, but authoritarian filial piety was not associated with young adults life satisfaction. Due to the familial interdependence emphasized in the Chinese cultural context, Chinese adolescents filial beliefs are related to the parenting they have experienced, and these beliefs may be associated with their psychosocial outcomes.

How parenting and filial piety influence happiness, parent–child relationships and quality of family life in Taiwanese adult children

This study explored how parenting shapes Taiwanese young adults’ filial piety, which in turn affects their life outcomes. The study utilized data from 2007 and 2011 collected from 1186 young adults, 316 fathers, and 870 mothers; the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The main findings were the following: (1) reciprocal filial piety mediates the influence of supportive parenting on young adults’ happiness and the quality of parent-adolescent relationships; (2) reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety mediate the effect of supportive parenting on the quality of family life; (3) supportive maternal parenting has a positive influence on mother–adult child relationships through facilitation of both reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety; and (4) supportive parenting as reported by parents is less strongly associated with young adults’ filial piety and other indicators, including happiness, parent–child relationships, and the quality of family life, compared to supportive parenting as reported by young adults.

Parent-child conflict and psychological maladjustment: a mediational analysis with reciprocal filial belief and perceived threat.

Empirical research has shown that parent-child conflict is positively related to poor adjustment in adolescents; however, the underlying processes have not been adequately examined. To explore the possible mediating pathways, reciprocal filial belief and perceived threat were chosen to represent two likely mechanisms accounting for how parent-child conflict harms adolescents perceptions of their relationship with their parents and their self-perceptions within their cognitive-appraisal framework. The former operates by attenuating childrens affection towards their parents and the latter by lowering their self-perceptions. This study also distinguishes internalizing from externalizing problems in order to examine whether lower reciprocal filial belief more strongly mediates the relation between conflict with parents and adolescents externalizing problems and whether perceived threat more strongly mediates the relation between conflict with parents and adolescents internalizing problems. Hypotheses are as follows: (1) the more parent-child conflict adolescents report, the less reciprocal filial belief they recognize, which, in turn, leads to more maladjustments, especially externalizing ones; (2) the more parent-child conflicts adolescents report, the more threat they perceive, which, in turn, leads to more maladjustments, especially internalizing ones. Participants consisted of 603 Taiwanese adolescents (226 males and 377 females) aged 15 to 19 (average age = 16.95; SD = 0.78). Structural equation modelling analyses confirmed the hypotheses. However, the three direct effects of conflict on internalizing problems, aggression, and deviant behaviour were still significant. In addition, a greater effect of the paternal than the maternal role on the link between conflict and attenuated reciprocal filial belief, and between perceived threat and internalizing problems, was identified. Implications for understanding the mediation processes responsible for all indirect effects, even the subsidiary ones, and the greater impact of conflict with the father than with the mother are discussed. Limitations of the study and considerations for future research are also addressed. La recherche empirique a indiqué que le conflit parent-enfant est positivement lié à une faible adaptation chez les adolescents; cependant, les processus sous-jacents nont pas été adéquatement examinés. Pour explorer les trajectoires de médiation possibles, la croyance filiale réciproque et la menace perçue ont été sélectionnées afin de représenter deux méchanismes plausiblement responsables de comment le conflit parent-enfant nuit aux peceptions des adolescents de leur relation avec les parents ainsi que de leurs auto-perceptions dans le cadre de leur évaluation cognitive. Le premier fonctionne en atténuant laffection des enfants envers leurs parents et le dernier fonctionne en diminuant leurs auto-perceptions. Cette étude distingue aussi les problèmes internalisés de ceux qui sont externalisés dans le but dexaminer si la plus faible croyance de filiation réciproque médie fortement la relation entre le conflit avec les parents et les problèmes externalisés des adolescents et si la menace perçue médie plus fortement la relation entre le conflit avec les parents et les problèmes internalisés des adolescents. Les hypothèses sont les suivantes: (1) plus il y a de conflit parent-enfant rapporté par les adolescents, moins il y aura de croyance filiale réciproque reconnue par les adolescents qui, en revanche, mènera à plus de mésadaptation surtout externalisée. Léchantillon incluait 603 participants (226 mâles et 377 femelles) âgés entre 15 et 19 ans (âge moyen = 16.95; SD = 0.78). Une analyse de modélisation par équation structurelle a confirmé les hypotheses. Cependant, les trois effets directs du conflit sur les problèmes internalisés, sur lagression et sur le comportement déviant étaient toujours significatifs. De plus, nous avons observé un plus grand effet du rôle paternel plus que maternel sur le lien entre le conflit et la croyance filiale réciproque atténuée ainsi quentre la menace perçue et les problèmes internalisés. Les implications pour la compréhension des processus de médiation responsables pour tous les effets indirects, même ceux qui sont accessoires, et le plus grand impact du conflit avec le père plus quavec la mère sont discutés. Les limites de létude et les considérations pour la recherche future sont aussi abordées. La investigación empírica ha demostrado que el conflicto entre padres e hijos está positivamente relacionado con pobre ajuste en adolescentes; no obstante, el proceso subyacente no ha sido examinado adecuadamente. Para explorar posibles caminos, se eligieron la creencia filial recíproca y la amenaza percibida con el objetivo de representar dos posibles mecanismos explicativos de cómo el conflicto padres-hijos daña la percepción de los adolescentes de su relación con los padres y su auto-percepción dentro de su marco de valoración cognitiva. El primero actúa atenuando el afecto de los hijos hacia los padres y el último bajando su auto-percepción. Este estudio también distingue los problemas interiorizados de los exteriorizados para examinar si la baja creencia filial recíproca es un mediador más fuerte de la relación entre el conflicto con los padres y los problemas exteriorizados de los adolescentes y si la amenaza percibida es un mediador más fuerte de la relación entre el conflicto con los padres y los problemas interiorizados de los adolescentes. Se han planteado las siguientes hipótesis: (1) cuanto más conflicto entre padres e hijos refieran los adolescentes, menor será el reconocimiento de la creencia filial recíproca, lo cual llevará a inadaptación, sobre todo, exteriorizada; (2) cuanto más conflicto entre padres e hijos refieran los adolescentes, mayor será la amenaza percibida, lo cual llevará a mayor inadaptación, sobre todo interiorizada. La muestra consistió de 603 adolescentes taiwaneses (226 chicos y 377 chicas) entre 15 y 19 años de edad (media edad = 16.95; DT = 0.78). Los análisis de los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales confirmaron las hipótesis. Sin embargo, los tres efectos directos de los conflictos en la internalización de los problemas, agresión y comportamiento anormal seguían siendo significativos. Además, se identificó un efecto mayor del rol paternal en comparación con el rol maternal en la relación entre conflicto y la creencia filial reciproca atenuada y entre la amenaza percibida y la internalización de los problemas. Se discuten las implicaciones para la comprensión del proceso mediador responsable de todos los efectos indirectos, incluso los subsidiarios, y el mayor impacto del conflicto con los padres que con las madres. Igualmente, se discuten las limitaciones del estudio y las consideraciones para la investigación futura.

Adolescent Life History Strategy in the Intergenerational Transmission and Developmental Stability of Substance Use

Research suggests that fast life history strategy (LHS) may be a primary driver of substance use among young adults. However, a recent study reported that (a) young adult fast LHS did not subsume all theorized indicators of LHS during this period and (b) fast LHS among parents did not predict young adult fast LHS or liability for use of common substances. In this study, we used structural equations and national data to test whether these findings generalized to adolescence. In addition, given that LHS and substance use share genetic and neuropsychological bases, we examined whether fast LHS could explain the developmental stability of substance use. Overall, our results extend the findings discussed above and suggest that fast LHS fully explains the developmental stability of substance use among youth. We discuss implications for life history models, research applying life history theory and substance use, and substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Lesson of Emotions in the Family: The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Relation between Filial Piety and Life Satisfaction among Taiwanese College Students

This study investigated the relationships between reciprocal filial piety beliefs, emotional intelligence, and life satisfaction among Taiwanese young adults. A total of 481 college students from Taiwan were recruited for the study. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyze the data. The analysis produced the following results. First, reciprocal filial piety was positively related to all of the four types of emotional intelligence: self-emotional appraisal (SEA), others’ emotional appraisal (OEA), regulation of emotion (ROE), and use of emotion (UOE). Second, both ROE and UOE had a positive association with life satisfaction whereas SEA and OEA had a nonsignificant association with life satisfaction. Third, the two types of emotional intelligence, ROE and UOE, mediated the relation between reciprocal filial piety and young adults’ life satisfaction. The findings suggest that reciprocal filial piety, representing high-quality interaction between children and parents, can facilitate individuals’ ability to control and use their emotions, which in turn improves their life satisfaction.

The relations between filial piety, goal orientations and academic achievement in Hong Kong

This study examined the relationships among filial piety, goal orientations, and academic achievement among Chinese students. A survey of 336 university students in Hong Kong was carried out to collect information on their filial piety beliefs, goal orientations and grade point averages. Structural equation modelling indicated that reciprocal filial piety was associated with mastery orientation, which is associated with academic achievement in Chinese students. Authoritarian filial piety was associated with performance orientation, including performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, which contribute positively and negatively, respectively, to academic achievement in Chinese students. Findings were interpreted based on Chinese cultural factors and considerations.