The relationship between parental goals and child goals for mathematics learning: parental involvement and control as potential mediators

Previous research has highlighted a close relationship between parental and child goals, yet the underlying mechanisms of this association remain underexplored. This study investigates the potential mediating role of parental educational practices—specifically, parental involvement and control—in the relationship between parental goals and children’s goals in mathematics learning. A total of 1,195 Chinese primary school students and their parents participated in a questionnaire survey for this study. Findings indicate that parental mastery goals positively predicted children’s mastery, performance-approach, and family-support goals through parental involvement. Parental performance goals have a complex relationship with children’s mastery goals, showing both positive and negative pathways: a positive link through parental involvement and a negative link through parental control. Parents with high performance goals reported more frequent controlling behaviors, which, in turn, were associated with their children’s adoption of performance-avoidance goals. Additionally, parental performance goals were positively linked to children’s family-support goals through parental involvement. A direct association was also found between parental performance goals and corresponding child goals. This study discusses the reasons behind the findings and their implications.