More Parental Guan, More Academic Engagement? Examining the Moderating Roles of Adolescents’ Gender and Reciprocal Filial Piety

Abstract

In the field of child development, although prior research has extensively documented the association between parenting styles and academic engagement, little is known from the perspective of the culture-specific parenting style in Eastern countries such as China, guan (i.e., intensively rear and strictly discipline). Moreover, individual differences, such as gender-specific patterns and the role of reciprocal filial piety, of this association are less explored. Guided by the socioecological framework, the present study examines the associations of parental guan with academic engagement, and the moderating roles of adolescents’ gender and reciprocal filial piety. A total of 1808 Chinese adolescents (M age = 12.64 years, SD = 1.51; 51.4% girls) completed self-report questionnaires. Results showed that paternal guan and maternal guan were each positively associated with academic engagement. Moderation analyses showed that high reciprocal filial piety significantly enhanced the positive association between paternal guan and academic engagement for boys, but not for girls; however, the association between maternal guan and academic engagement has not been altered by reciprocal filial piety or gender. In conclusion, both paternal and maternal guan significantly contribute to adolescents’ academic engagement, and such an association between paternal guan and academic engagement is differentiated by adolescents’ gender and reciprocal filial piety.