Parental religiosity and adolescent grades and college aspirations : the role of parenting characteristics, adolescent social settings, and adolescent personality.

Previous research indicates that parental religiosity influences the morals, skills, and social ties adolescents establish. Adolescents then apply cultural capital, skills, and social capital in educational settings. However, it is unclear if parenting characteristics, adolescent social settings, and adolescent personality traits mediate the effect of parental religious service attendance on adolescent academic outcomes such as grades received and expectations for a bachelor’s degree or higher. Using data from the 2017-18 National Survey of Moral Formation, regression analysis reveals that parental religious service attendance influences the grades adolescents receive and their aspirations to earn a college degree, even in the presence of other relevant factors. Mediation analysis reveals that the effect of parental religious service is partially mediated by parenting characteristics for both outcomes. These findings confirm the complicated nature of religion’s influence on adolescent academic outcomes, which merits continued exploration.