Scaffolding for motivation by parents, and child homework motivations and emotions: Effects of a training programme

Based on the principles of scaffolding for motivation and on the assumptions of Self-Determination Theory, two studies aimed to assess the role played by perceived parental autonomy supportive scaffolding on child homework autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, affect, and engagement. The results of Study 1, which involved 122 parents and their children, showed that the higher the parental autonomous motivation, the more their children perceived them as autonomy-supportive while scaffolding for motivation, and hence developed autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, and engagement in homework. In Study 2, 37 parents were involved in a four-session training programme that focused on sustaining autonomy-supportive scaffolding modalities. The training decreased parental negative affect, prevented child negative affect increase, and maintained child homework motivation. The discussion focuses on the strength that parents have with regard to helping their children develop less negative, and potentially also more positive, attitude towards homework, through autonomy support as a scaffold for motivation.