Parental Verbal Reminder and Behavioral Modeling for Reading and Exercise: Implications and Predictors

ABSTRACT Background Parenting practices influence children's academic achievement, but the function of the widely used verbal reminder and behavioral modeling and their predictors remains underexplored. Objective This study investigated the associations between the specific parenting practices—verbal reminder and behavioral modeling for reading and exercise—and adolescents' academic achievement. In addition, parents' education level and their engagement in school‐based family education were examined as antecedents. Method Parents of 6450 seventh‐grade students reported parental verbal reminders and behavioral modeling for reading and exercise, parental education level, and engagement in school‐based family education. Students' grades were obtained from schools. Structural equation models, mediation, and moderation analyses were used in data analyses. Results Parents with higher education levels showed fewer verbal reminder, which in turn was associated with lower academic achievement, and these parents also showed more behavioral modeling, which in turn was associated with higher academic achievement. Parental engagement in school‐based family education experience buffered the association between parental education and behavioral modeling but strengthened the association between parental education and verbal reminder. These results were consistent for reading and exercise. Conclusion Parental verbal reminder and behavioral modeling exhibit distinct associations with adolescents' academic achievement. Parental engagement in school‐based family education moderates the relations between parental education and both parental verbal reminders and behavioral modeling. Implications Parents should set good models for reading and exercise, rather than excessively relying on verbal reminders. Family education should emphasize the potential setbacks of verbal reminders, especially for parents with low education levels.