Parental educational aspirations and children’s academic self‐concept: Disentangling state and trait components on their dynamic interplay

The dynamic interplay of parental educational aspirations and children's academic self‐concept was examined from late childhood through mid‐adolescence within a transactional socialization framework. Parental and child data were gained from a representative Swiss sample within 3‐year intervals (N (T1) = 1118; 51% females; 28% migration background; M (age T1) = 9.26, M (age T2) = 12.14, M (age T3) = 15.32). Results from a random intercept cross‐lagged panel model revealed positive associations between the two constructs at the between‐ and within‐person level. Findings showed general and time‐specific associations between children and parents and reciprocal spill‐over effects, whereby higher than usual aspirations predicted higher than usual academic self‐concept over time and vice versa, highlighting transactional processes in the context of educational transitions.