Children’s belief in the malleability of intelligence, known as growth mindset, has been shown to predict numerous academic outcomes. Much attention has focused on the role of parents and teachers in the socialization of growth mindsets, while less research has examined children’s peers. The influence of peers on children’s academic functioning is well-documented, particularly during adolescence when children spend more time with their peers and look to them as reference points in order to gauge their own academic competence. However, such social comparison processes may be detrimental to students’ academic self-perceptions and achievement, and their impact may depend on students’ implicit beliefs about intelligence. Although there is growing attention on the role of peers in mindset socialization as well as past literature demonstrating the effect of peer mindsets on students’ learning outcomes, the simultaneous consideration of peers’ beliefs about intelligence and social comparison influences has yet to be studied. This dissertation investigated the interplay between these two constructs and their effects on adolescents’ motivational and academic outcomes using an online experimental paradigm to manipulate perceptions of peers’ mindsets and competence. Participants (N = 120) heard statements reflecting different types of mindsets from purported peers, completed a series of surveys and activities, and received feedback on their and their peers’ performance via a virtual leaderboard to induce social comparison. Results showed various main effects of the growth mindset and social comparison manipulations, but no interactive effects. Regardless of social comparison condition, growth mindset peers increased adolescents’ learning conducive perceptions of themselves and both their self-reported and objective learning outcomes, while social comparison dampened learning conducive perceptions. The effects of peer growth mindset were partially explained by perceptions of peers’ competence and identification with higher performing peers, a positive strategy when faced with a social comparison scenario. The findings further our understanding of peers in the transmission of intelligence beliefs and subsequent learning outcomes, which may inform future efforts geared toward improving adolescents’ academic success.

Psychologically controlling and autonomy supportive parenting practices have been consistently shown to predict children’s academic and psychosocial functioning, yet the precursors of these behaviors remain relatively unclear. To shed light on the cognitive precedents of such parenting practices, the current study focused on parents’ child-based worth, a tendency for parents to base their self-esteem on their children’s accomplishments. Departing from a primary focus on child-based worth in the academic domain, the current study examined the role of mothers’ child-based worth across various domains of child development, including virtue, academic competence, and physical appearance. Furthermore, given the role of perceived pressure in intrusive parenting, the moderating roles of internal (e.g., prevention focus) and external pressure (e.g., perceived environmental threat) in the association between child-based worth and parenting behaviors were explored. In the current study, 302 mothers (Mage = 42.16, SDage = 8.54) of early to middle adolescents (ages from 10 to 17) recruited through Qualtrics Panel reported on their child-based worth, parenting practices, and additional pressure-related factors (e.g., regulatory focus, perceived environmental threat). Results showed that mothers based their self-worth on children’s academic competence to a greater extent than the virtue and physical appearance domains. Mothers who based their self-worth on children’s virtue and physical appearance tended to endorse higher levels of psychological control. In addition, child-based worth in physical appearance was associated with dampened autonomy support. Interaction analyses revealed that mothers’ characteristics related to internal pressure, such as prevention focus and emotion dysregulation, interacted with child-based worth dimensions in predicting psychological control. Little evidence was found to support hypotheses regarding the role of external pressure. Overall, the implications of child-based worth were larger and more consistent in predicting psychological control than autonomy support. Together, findings from this study augment our understanding of the roles of multiple domains of mothers’ child-based self-worth in parenting behaviors and how these associations may be modulated by other factors related to perceived pressure.

Studies have demonstrated parent involvement as an important predictor of academic achievement, social emotional skill development, and overall psychological adjustment. Much of the previous work on parent involvement has focused on mother involvement, leaving the role of father involvement in adolescents’ adjustment understudied. Further, this study was conducted during the COVID-19 global pandemic, which makes it unique in that some parents and adolescents were likely spending a significant amount of time with one another during the stay-at-home orders. Adolescents’ perspectives are important as they are a critical part of the family and at a critical transitional stage in which they are becoming independent and making decisions about their future. The goal of this study was to identify whether there are differences in the rates of involvement among mothers and fathers, if involvement is associated with adolescents’ school and wellbeing outcomes, and whether mother vs. father involvement has differential implications for adolescents’ outcomes. The second goal of the study was to determine if contextual factors (e.g., parent relationship quality, teacher-adolescent relationships, community belonging, social support) moderate the associations between parent involvement and adolescent adjustment. Adolescents (N = 116: mean age = 13.2) reported on their perceived rates of mother and father involvement, and their academic and socioemotional adjustment. Findings demonstrated significant differences in the levels of mother and father involvement, such that mothers were found to have higher rates of involvement than fathers. Although there were differences in the rates of parent involvement among mothers and fathers, the implications of their involvement were similar for adolescents’ outcomes. Parent-adolescent relationship quality significantly moderated the association between parenting involvement, both mother and father involvement, and adolescents’ socioemotional skills. In a similar vein, community belonging was found to moderate the associations between parent involvement and adolescent academic achievement (e.g., grades). Herein, while parent involvement generally plays a positive role in adolescent outcomes, other contexts, and the social capital gained within them, can reinforce, these contributions to adolescents’ academic and socioemotional adjustment.

Positive academic mindsets, which are one’s attitudes or beliefs that specifically pertain to academic performance, have been found to create an impetus for students to persist in their schoolwork, propelling oneself towards better academic behaviors, and ultimately improved academic performance. Although mindset research has examined the impact of mindsets on Hispanic and African-American youth, little is known about its effects on Asian American youth, specifically Southeast Asian youth. The present study examined the effects of a 3-session growth mindset training on ninth and tenth grade students who identified as Southeast Asian, and 2 Southeast Asian families. Questionnaires were completed by the participants to obtain demographic information, mindset status, and other variables of interest (e.g., interest in school, grit). Results indicated that growth mindset and grit were positively correlated; however, results showed that there was no significant improvement in academic performance after the targeted training. Findings from this study suggest that trainings aimed to change mindsets may be insufficient for students to engage in positive academic outcomes based on the adoption of a growth mindset. Additionally, further examination into the subjective experiences of adolescents in school due to the seemingly context-dependent nature of mindset trainings would provide increased understanding into the complexities of a student’s lowered academic achievement. Limitations, reasons for the lack of statistical significance, and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

Despite extensive research on parental involvement, gaps remained in understanding the quality of parental engagement and its longitudinal implications for various developmental outcomes. This study investigated the relationship between parental involvement and children's academic performance and overall development during the critical early years of education (K-2). Utilizing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K: 2011), this study examined how parental involvement—as reflected in practices such as helping with homework, attending parent-teacher conferences, and fostering a positive learning environment—related to children's interest in learning, interpersonal skills, persistence, and performance in math and science. The participants included 18,526 children (average age of 5.70 years at the start), their parents, and teachers. The study design was longitudinal, tracking these participants from kindergarten through second grade. The findings revealed that while parental involvement generally declined as children progressed through early elementary school, positive relationships between PI and various developmental outcomes remained significant. Specifically, active parental engagement was associated with higher motivation, improved interpersonal skills, greater persistence, and enhanced performance in math and science assessments. The study highlighted the importance of fostering strong home-school partnerships and developing strategies to engage parents. These insights aimed to inform educational policies and practices that support children's holistic development, emphasizing the need for early interventions and ongoing parental involvement to ensure long-term academic success and personal growth.