Teacher-Parent academic support profiles : Links to Children’s task persistence in Grades 2 and 3

Abstract

This study aimed to identify profiles of academic support (help frequency, positive affect, and autonomy support) that teachers and parents provide for children and examine their associations with children’s task persistence in Grades 2 and 3 after controlling for children’s gender, academic performance, and parents’ educational level. Altogether, 614 children participated in the study (48 % girls). Their parents (n = 576) reported on academic support at home at the end of Grade 3 (T2). Their teachers (n = 40) rated academic support that they provided for each child in their class at the end of Grade 3 (T2). At each measurement occasion (T1 and T2), teachers rated children’s task persistence. First, latent profile analysis identified four teacher-parent academic support profiles in Grade 3 (T2): High teacher positive affect (37.5 %); Average help, autonomy, and positive affect (26.3 %); Moderately low teacher positive affect (32 %): and Very low teacher positive affect (4.2 %). Second, the results indicated that the more persistent children were in Grade 2, the more likely they were to belong to teacher-parent academic support profiles characterized by lower help, average autonomy, and higher positive affect in Grade 3. Third, for children belonging to the High teacher positive affect profile, task persistence improved between Grades 2 and 3.