Family Factors and Children’s Academic Performance: The Mediating Role of Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Student Type

ABSTRACT: Family-related factors have been consistently linked to children’s academic performance and may also be associated with academic outcomes through psychological processes. Based on this perspective, the present study investigated the association between different family factors (parental involvement, parenting styles, and family functioning) and academic performance among Chinese primary school children. In addition, the potential mediating role of anxiety was examined, as well as whether the associations between these family factors and anxiety differed by student type (students with low versus typical school performance). Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 1083 students in Grades 3–5 and their parents from three primary schools in China, with parental involvement, parenting styles, family functioning, and children’s anxiety assessed via parent-reported questionnaires, along with measures of academic performance. The results showed that parental involvement, parenting styles, and family functioning were each significantly associated with children’s academic performance, and that anxiety played an indirect role in these relationships. Student type did not significantly moderate the relationship between these family factors and anxiety. Overall, the findings highlight the relevance of both the family environment and children’s anxiety in understanding variations in academic performance, and they suggest the importance of considering family- and child-related factors in educational research.