Autonomy Support and Achievement: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Homework Mindsets and Effort

Grounded in self-determination and mindset theories, the current investigation examined whether students' homework mindsets and effort mediated the association between autonomy support-from both teachers and parents-and mathematics grades. The study sample included 988 Chinese students in Grade 7 to 9. Structural equation modeling indicated that both teacher autonomy support and parent autonomy support had indirect positive effects on mathematics grades, with homework mindsets (fixed and growth) and homework effort serving as mediators. Additionally, teacher and parent autonomy support directly associated with homework effort, while also exerting indirect associations with homework effort via homework mindsets. Collectively, the current investigation underscores the critical roles of autonomy support, homework mindsets, and homework effort in the homework process, offering important theoretical and practical insights.