Effects of mothers' perceptions of children's competence: the moderating role of mothers' theories of competence.

Full Abstract

There is much evidence that parents' perceptions of children's competence affect the development of children's academic functioning. In the current research, the possibility that this is moderated by parents' theories about the stability of competence was examined. In a 2-wave, 1-year study of 126 children (9 to 12 years old) and their mothers, children's academic functioning (i.e., grades, perceptions of competence, attributions for performance, and mastery orientation) and affective functioning (i.e., self-esteem and depressive symptoms) were examined. Among mothers with relatively high entity theories, their perceptions acted as self-fulfilling prophecies foreshadowing children's academic and affective functioning over time. However, among mothers with relatively low entity theories, mothers' perceptions did not predict children's academic and affective functioning.

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Author information

Author/s: Pomerantz, Eva M (EM); Dong, Wei (W);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. pomerntz(-atsign-)uiuc.edu

Grants: R01 MH57505 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Developmental psychology (Dev Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Sep; vol 42 (issue 5) : pp 950-61

Dates: Created 2006/09/06; Completed 2007/01/18; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 16953699, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Aptitude
Attitude
Child
Culture
Depression - psychology
Educational Status
Female
Follow-Up Studies

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