The Role of Mothers' Communication in Promoting Motivation for Math and Science Course‐Taking in High School

In the context of concerns about American youths' failure to take advanced math and science (MS) courses in high school, we examined mothers' communication with their adolescent about taking MS courses. At ninth grade, U.S. mothers (n = 130) were interviewed about their responses to hypoth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of research on adolescence 2017-03, Vol.27 (1), p.49-64
Main Authors: Hyde, Janet S., Canning, Elizabeth A., Rozek, Christopher S., Clarke, Emily, Hulleman, Chris S., Harackiewicz, Judith M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Algebra
Biology
Chemistry
Communication
Elaboration
Geometry
Mathematics
Mothers
Motivation
Parent-child relations
Parents & parenting
Physics
School records
Science and technology
Technology
Usefulness
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Summary:In the context of concerns about American youths' failure to take advanced math and science (MS) courses in high school, we examined mothers' communication with their adolescent about taking MS courses. At ninth grade, U.S. mothers (n = 130) were interviewed about their responses to hypothetical questions from their adolescent about the usefulness of algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics. Responses were coded for elaboration and making personal connections to the adolescent. The number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses taken in 12th grade was obtained from school records. Mothers' use of personal connections predicted adolescents' MS interest and utility value, as well as actual MS course‐taking. Parents can play an important role in motivating their adolescent to take MS courses.
ISSN:1050-8392
1532-7795
DOI:10.1111/jora.12253