Peer-reviewed article
Family functioning and perceived academic achievement of adolescents from variable-centered and person-centered perspectives: the roles of teacher support and psychological capital
Lihua Wang, Yufang Zhu ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This survey study of 1,288 junior high school students in Jiangxi Province, China, looked at how family functioning relates to students' perceived academic achievement. It examined the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) and teacher support in this link. Better family functioning was linked to higher perceived achievement through PsyCap, and teacher support strengthened this pathway. Students fell into three PsyCap groups (low, moderate, high), and higher groups reported higher perceived achievement.
Key points
- Family functioning, PsyCap, teacher support and perceived academic achievement were all positively correlated.
- PsyCap fully mediated the relationship between family functioning and perceived academic achievement.
- Teacher support moderated the effect of family functioning on PsyCap and the whole mediating pathway.
- Latent profile analysis found three PsyCap profiles: low (15%), moderate (60%) and high (25%), with stepwise differences in perceived academic achievement.
- Higher family functioning and teacher support made moderate or high PsyCap profiles more likely, with teacher support having a stronger effect.
Limitations
The abstract describes a survey with cluster and convenience sampling in one Chinese province, and academic achievement is self-perceived. It cannot show cause and effect or whether the findings apply to other settings or age groups.
Abstract
Introduction Academic achievement is of paramount importance for adolescent development. However, how family functioning affects academic achievement through psychological capital (PsyCap), and the role of teacher support in this process, remain largely unexplored. Moreover, whether PsyCap exhibits heterogeneous profiles and how different environmental factors distinguish among them warrant further investigation. Method A survey was conducted among 1,288 students from eight junior high schools in Jiangxi Province, China, using cluster and convenience sampling. Hayes’ PROCESS macro was used to test the moderated mediation model. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to explore the heterogeneous latent taxonomy of PsyCap. Results Significant positive correlations were observed among family functioning, PsyCap, teacher support, and perceived academic achievement.PsyCap fully mediated the relationship between family functioning and perceived academic achievement. Teacher support significantly moderated the effect of family functioning on PsyCap and the entire mediating pathway. LPA identified three distinct PsyCap profiles: low (15%), moderate (60%), and high (25%). These profiles showed a stepwise pattern of significant differences in perceived academic achievement. The higher the levels of family functioning and teacher support, the more likely students were to be classified into the moderate or high PsyCap profiles, and teacher support exhibited a stronger effect. Discussion By integrating variable-centered and person-centered approaches, this study reveals that family functioning indirectly promotes perceived academic achievement by cultivating PsyCap, and that teacher support strengthens this transformative process, highlighting the synergistic effects of the family and school microsystems.