The relationship between parental academic success pressure and support and learning responsibility in the exam marathon: An 8th grade sample

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between 8th grade students preparing for the LGS and their perceived parental academic pressure and support, and their learning responsibilities in terms of various variables. To this end, a correlational survey model was used as a quantitative research method in this study. The sample of the study consists of a total of 1,405 eighth-grade students from 14 schools in Diyarbakır province who are preparing for the LGS in the 2024-2025 academic year. The Personal Information Form, Parent Academic Pressure and Support Scale, and Learning Responsibility Scale were used as data collection tools in the study. Normality tests were performed to check whether each variable in the data set met the criteria for normal distribution, and the mean, median, mode, histogram graph, kurtosis, and skewness values were examined. Since the data set met the normality criteria, parametric tests such as the t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and post hoc tests including Tukey and Games-Howell tests were used to determine how students' levels of responsibility toward learning varied according to different variables related to parental academic pressure and support.Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test the relationship and predictive power between students' perceived parental academic pressure and support and their sense of responsibility toward learning. According to the findings of the study, parental academic achievement support differs significantly in terms of variables such as students' gender, mother and father's educational level, monthly economic income level, daily study time, perceived parental relationship style during the exam preparation process, perception of parental understanding of exam anxiety, and perceived parental support during the exam preparation process. According to the findings of the study, parental academic achievement pressure differs significantly in terms of variables such as students' gender, daily study time, perceived parental relationship style during exam preparation, perceived understanding of exam anxiety by parents, and perceived parental support during exam preparation. It was observed that parental academic pressure does not vary in terms of students' parents' education level and monthly income level. The study found that students' levels of responsibility toward learning differed in terms of variables such as gender, monthly economic income, daily study time, perceived parental relationship style during the exam preparation process, perceived understanding of exam anxiety by parents, and perceived parental support during the exam preparation process. It was found that the level of responsibility for learning did not differ according to the educational level of the parents. Finally, the relationship between parental academic pressure and support and the level of responsibility for learning was examined in the study, and it was found that this relationship was significant and that parental academic pressure and support predicted 12.9% of the students' level of responsibility for learning during the exam preparation process. In addition, it was found that there was a strong negative relationship between parental academic pressure and learning responsibility, and a moderate positive relationship between parental support and learning responsibility. The findings obtained as a result of the study were discussed in light of the studies in the literature, and recommendations were made for practitioners and researchers.