1. Danielle Delany, Cecilia Cheung, Jorge Monroy
Implications of Parent-Oriented Motivation for Adolescents’ Well-Being: An Investigation in the United States, China, and Japan
Danielle Delany, Cecilia Cheung, Jorge Monroy
University of California, Riverside
Yusuke Takahashi
Kyoto University
Rebecca Cheung
Hong Kong Institute of Education

2. Parent-Oriented Motivation
What is it?
Motivation for school
Driven by parents’ expectations
Why is it useful?
Declines in intrinsic motivation1
School engagement and achievement2
Does parent-oriented motivation have implications for adolescents’ well-being?
What is parent-oriented motivation?
Children’s motivation in school is parent oriented when it is driven by a concern with meeting parents’ expectations in the academic arena so as to gain their approval.
Why is POM useful?
Intrinsic motivation for doing well in school declines in adolescence (e.g., Nicholls, 1984)
Previous research indicates that adolescents’ heightened desire to obtain approval from parents or parent-oriented motivation, beyond intrinsic motivation, is conducive to adolescents’ school engagement and achievement in the United States and China (e.g., Cheung & Pomerantz, 2012).
Research Question
However, it is unclear whether these effects extend to adolescents’ well-being (e.g., happiness).
1Nicholls (1984); 2Cheung & Pomerantz (2012)

3. Parent-Oriented Motivation and Well-Being
School Engagement1
Engagement, achievement, and well-being
Goals and Purpose2
Goals and well-being
Sense of purpose in academic context
Sense of purpose in the home setting
Parental involvement3
School Engagement
Previous research indicates that having a high level of school engagement is positively associated with academic success, and negatively associated with students’ ill-being, such as depressive symptoms and burnout. High engagement in school also fosters several aspects of students’ well-being, such as positive emotions and life satisfaction. **Link this first part to the next one. “One of the reasons why school engagement may facilitate well-being is because goals may be particularly useful for adolescents, and having a sense of purpose, regardless of where it comes from (e.g., autonomous or controlled) may lead to well-being and positive affect
Goals and Purpose
Previous research (Cheung and Pomerantz, 2012) suggesting that children may experience their parents’ academic goals as their own when given autonomy from parents. In turn, adolescents’ well-being may then benefit from having and meeting these goals.
Family obligation, similar to POM, is associated fewer depressive symptoms (Fuligni & Zhang, 2004) (home setting); Please parents as they are a central in adolescents’ lives
Parental Involvement
Research indicates that parental involvement is conducive to adolescents’ academic achievement and well-being
Cheung and Pomerantz (2012) demonstrated that parent involvement was a precursor to POM
Therefore, it my be that POM is a component of parental involvement which may be beneficial for adolescents’ well-being
1Upadyaya & Salmela-Aro (2013); Pomerantz et al., 2012,
2Cheung and Pomerantz, (2012); 3Wang & Sheikh‐Khalil (2014)

4. Parent-Oriented Motivation – The Role of Autonomy Support
Provides psychological benefits1,2,3
Parent-oriented motivation within the context of autonomy
The role of culture1,4
US, China, Japan
According to self determination theory, the need for autonomy is one of the three universal psychological needs that is essential for facilitating optimal functioning. Previous research identified that the need for autonomy is consistent across cultures. (Hahn, & Oishi, 2006; Sheldon, Elliot, Kim, & Kasser, 2001; Sheldon & Filak, 2008) (Ford, 1992; Iyengar & DeVoe, 2003; Markus, Kitayama, & Heiman, 1996).
Previous research suggests that children across cultures evidence a number of psychological benefits (e.g., adjustment and well-being) with greater autonomy (Zhou, Ma, Deci, 2009). Thus, parent-oriented motivation may enhance adolescents’ well-being particularly when adolescents feel they have enough autonomy from their parents. For example, when adolescents are allowed to make choices with minimal parental influence, their desire to do well in school for their parents may lead to heightened well-being.
Cheung and Pomerantz (2012) found that the associations between children’s parent-oriented motivation in school and their controlled and autonomous motivation in school were similar in the US and China, indicating consistency in the nature of American and Chinese children’s parent-oriented motivation.
Heightened extrinsic motivation can lead to psychological distress (e.g., Deci & Ryan, 2000).
Given that there is little research to date exploring the link between POM and WB, we thought it would be interesting to explore the associations between parent-oriented motivation and adolescents’ well-being across the three countries of interest- the US, China, and Japan.
1Ryan & Deci, (2000); 2Zhou, Ma, Deci, (2009); 3Deci & Ryan, (1985), 4Markus & Kitayama, 1991;

5. Research Questions
Is parent-oriented motivation associated with adolescents’ well-being in the US, China, and Japan?
Do feelings of autonomy moderate the association between parent-oriented motivation and adolescents’ well-being?

6. Participants
American, Chinese, and Japanese adolescents in the 7th and 8th grades participated in the study (N = 907).
Design
3-wave longitudinal study
Focus on the Wave 1
Surveys administration method
US N = 294
China N = 235
Japan N= 378

7. Measures Parent-Oriented Motivation (10-items αs > .80)
e.g., “I try to do well in school because I want my parents’ approval.”
Parental Autonomy Support (13 items; αs > .80)
e.g., “My parents allow me to make choices whenever possible.”
Positive Emotions (8 items αs > .80)
Adolescents’ reported on their experience of positive emotions in the last two weeks (e.g., “happy”, “joyful”).
*****All measures attained at least partial metric measurement Invariance allowing for meaningful comparisons of the associations across the three countries.
Partial metric invariance attained

8. Analyses Zero-order correlations Regression analyses
Moderation effects
Autonomy support
Country
Zero-order correlations between parent-oriented motivation, autonomy support and positive emotions.

9. Zero-Order Correlations
The more adolescents’ motivations were oriented toward parents, the more they experienced positive emotions (rs = .26 to .36); the association did not differ between the three countries (zs < 1, ns).
POM & PE
US and China: Z = .77 p = .22
US and Japan: Z = 0 p = .5
China and Japan: Z = -.81 p = .21
POM & AS
US and China: Z = p = .001
US and Japan: Z = p = .04
China and Japan: Z = 2.9 p = .002
Associations between POM and AS not functioning similarly across the three countries
AS & PE
US and China: Z = .13 p = .45
US and Japan: Z = -.75 p = .23
China and Japan: Z = -.84 p = .20

10. Zero-Order Correlations
The more adolescents’ motivations were oriented toward parents, the more they experienced positive emotions (rs = .26 to .36); the association did not differ between the three countries (zs < 1, ns).
POM & PE
US and China: Z = .77 p = .22
US and Japan: Z = 0 p = .5
China and Japan: Z = -.81 p = .21
POM & AS
US and China: Z = p = .001
US and Japan: Z = p = .04
China and Japan: Z = 2.9 p = .002
Associations between POM and AS not functioning similarly across the three countries
AS & PE
US and China: Z = .13 p = .45
US and Japan: Z = -.75 p = .23
China and Japan: Z = -.84 p = .20

11. Zero-Order Correlations
The more adolescents’ motivations were oriented toward parents, the more they experienced positive emotions (rs = .26 to .36); the association did not differ between the three countries (zs < 1, ns).
POM & PE
US and China: Z = .77 p = .22
US and Japan: Z = 0 p = .5
China and Japan: Z = -.81 p = .21
POM & AS
US and China: Z = p = .001
US and Japan: Z = p = .04
China and Japan: Z = 2.9 p = .002
Associations between POM and AS not functioning similarly across the three countries
AS & PE
US and China: Z = .13 p = .45
US and Japan: Z = -.75 p = .23
China and Japan: Z = -.84 p = .20

12. Zero-Order Correlations
The more adolescents’ motivations were oriented toward parents, the more they experienced positive emotions (rs = .26 to .36); the association did not differ between the three countries (zs < 1, ns).
POM & PE
US and China: Z = .77 p = .22
US and Japan: Z = 0 p = .5
China and Japan: Z = -.81 p = .21
POM & AS
US and China: Z = p = .001
US and Japan: Z = p = .04
China and Japan: Z = 2.9 p = .002
Associations between POM and AS not functioning similarly across the three countries
AS & PE
US and China: Z = .13 p = .45
US and Japan: Z = -.75 p = .23
China and Japan: Z = -.84 p = .20

13. Moderation Results
In all countries the association between parent-oriented motivation and positive emotions did not depend on parents’ provision of autonomy support (bs < .50, ns).

14. Conclusions & Future Directions
POM is associated with the experience of positive emotions
Parent-oriented motivation may be a special form of extrinsic motivation
Relationship with parents
POM and PE not moderated by AS
Interestingly, the association between POM and AS is moderated by culture (strongest association in China)
Next steps
Longitudinal effects
Exploring other moderators/ mediators
Parent-oriented motivation may be a special form of extrinsic motivation due to the finding that a desire to please parents through school engagement is beneficial to adolescents’ well-being.
The association may not be dependent on autonomy support as parent-oriented motivation is seen as both extrinsic and autonomous motivation.
Associations between POM and AS not functioning similarly across the three countries, may be that these differences in their associations made it not moderate

15. Thank you! Cecilia Cheung Collaborators Kyoto University
Hong Kong Institute of Education
Culture and Child Development Lab
UCWBC organizers and attendees