Parents’ Estimates of Their Children’s Cognitive Abilities and the Relationship between Their Estimates, Involvement in and Expectations for Their Children’s Academic Achievements: A Chinese-Australian Cross-Cultural Study

This thesis explores the relationships among children’s cognitive abilities, their academic achievements, their parents’ estimates of their cognitive abilities, and their parents’ involvement in and expectations of their education, through the lens of the Cognitive-Affect Model and a Chinese-Australian cross-cultural framework. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The findings reveal cultural differences between the Chinese and Australian samples, but show an absence of expected mediating and moderating effects, likely due to the small sample size, and the testing tools used. Despite the constraints, the findings address significant gaps in the literature and inform recommendations for culturally responsive educational practices.