Influence of family socioeconomic status on academic buoyancy and adaptability: Mediating effect of parental involvement

Abstract

Prior studies highlight the importance of academic buoyancy and adaptability in educational trajectories, yet the influence of family-related factors remains less explored. Anchored in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this research examines how family socioeconomic status (SES) influences academic buoyancy and adaptability, the predictive relation between family SES and parental involvement, and whether parental involvement mediates the impact of family SES on academic outcomes. We surveyed 1164 junior high school students from China. Controlling for gender and attendance type, structural equation modelling revealed a positive correlation between family SES and students' academic buoyancy and cognitive-behavioural adaptability; however, this correlation did not extend to affective adaptability. Parental involvement was significantly linked to family SES and fully mediated the relation between family SES and both academic buoyancy and cognitive-behavioural adaptability. Based on these findings, practical implications are discussed.