ADOLESCENTS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR PARENTS ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS - COMPARISON OF AMERICAN, CHINESE-AMERICAN, AND CHINESE HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

Cultural background not only influences family beliefs about the value of education, but may affect how academic expectations are communicat ed by parents and perceived by their children. This study examined dif ferences in willingness to conform to parents' expectations of academi c achievement as perceived by American, Chinese-American, and Chinese high school students. Findings indicated that Chinese students were mo re willing to accept their parents' advice and cared more about fulfil ling academic expectations than did American students. Students in all three groups had similar feelings of independence. The views of Chine se-American students reflected the influence of both their Chinese her itage and the American culture in which they resided.