Family Socialization Practices and Their Effects on the Internalization of Educational Values for Asian and White American Adolescents

Based on the theories of internalization and the self, this article examines effective family socialization practices of Asian and White Americans. The results indicated that parental support for autonomy and adolescents' perceived competence while studying favorably affected Asian Americans' internalization of their cultural values relevant to education and academic success. In contrast, for White Americans, these internalization factors did not have a substantial effect on adolescents' school performance. Moreover, for Asian Americans, parents' attitudes had stronger effects on adolescents' school performance in comparison to White American adolescents, whose teacher-awarded grades were attributed to their own academic aspirations. Differences in family socialization practices between Asian and White Americans are discussed within a context of underlying cultural frameworks that promote adolescents' school performance.