Maternal involvement and children’s academic motivation and achievement: The roles of maternal autonomy support and children’s affect

Parents’ level of involvement in children’s schooling is related to children’s academic success; yet, few studies have considered factors that may play a role in this relation. This study examined an interactional model to determine whether children’s affect toward maternal involvement and autonomy supportive versus controlling parenting moderated relations between three involvement types and children’s academic motivation and achievement. Participants were 213 third through fifth-grade children, their mothers and teachers. Unexpectedly, interactions for perceived competence (β = − .26, b = − 0.34) and grades (β = − .14, b = -1.28) indicated that when children’s affect was negative, higher school involvement was associated with higher perceived competence (p < .001) and grades (p = .038). Another interaction (β = .22, b = 2.28) indicated that, as predicted, when mothers were autonomy supportive, higher personal involvement was associated with more autonomous self-regulation (p = .003). This interaction was not present for other outcomes. Findings suggest ways to optimally involve mothers in children’s schooling.