Research Article

Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness

Volume: 26 Number: 2 June 30, 2026
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Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness

Abstract

This study investigated the mediating role of adolescent-parent career fit and career awareness in the effect of parental achievement pressure on test anxiety in adolescents, using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The participants consisted of 312 adolescents (129 women (41.3%) and 183 men (58.7%)) attending high schools in two different districts of Istanbul. Data collection instruments included a ‘Personal Information Form’, the ‘Adolescent-Parent Career Fit Scale’, the ‘Career Awareness Scale’, the ‘Parental Achievement Pressure Scale’, and the ‘Westside Test Anxiety Scale’. The findings revealed that parental achievement pressure has a direct and statistically significant effect on adolescent test anxiety. Parental achievement pressure significantly reduces the career fit between adolescents and their parents, while this fit increases adolescents' career awareness. Career awareness is a variable that significantly reduces test anxiety. However, according to mediation analysis, only the indirect path from parental success pressure to test anxiety via adolescent-parent career fit was found to be significant. Single or sequential indirect paths operating through career awareness were found to be insignificant. The findings indicate that parental success pressure increases test anxiety in adolescents. While adolescent-parent career fit plays a significant mediating role in this relationship, the mediating effects of career awareness alone and sequentially were not significant. The results suggest that parental fit regarding the career process is a more decisive factor in explaining test anxiety than career awareness. These findings are consistent with previous research emphasizing the importance of parent-adolescent fit in career development.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Other Fields of Education (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

May 18, 2025

Acceptance Date

June 7, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 26 Number: 2

APA
Söner, O. (2026). Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 26(2), 1090-1111. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2026..-1701535
AMA
1.Söner O. Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness. BAİBÜEFD. 2026;26(2):1090-1111. doi:10.17240/aibuefd.2026.-1701535
Chicago
Söner, Osman. 2026. “Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness”. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 26 (2): 1090-1111. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2026. -1701535.
EndNote
Söner O (June 1, 2026) Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 26 2 1090–1111.
IEEE
[1]O. Söner, “Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness”, BAİBÜEFD, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 1090–1111, June 2026, doi: 10.17240/aibuefd.2026..-1701535.
ISNAD
Söner, Osman. “Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness”. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 26/2 (June 1, 2026): 1090-1111. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2026. -1701535.
JAMA
1.Söner O. Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness. BAİBÜEFD. 2026;26:1090–1111.
MLA
Söner, Osman. “Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness”. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 1090-11, doi:10.17240/aibuefd.2026. -1701535.
Vancouver
1.Osman Söner. Parental Achievement Pressure and Adolescents’ Exam Anxiety: The Role of Adolescent–Parent Career Congruence and Career Awareness. BAİBÜEFD. 2026 Jun. 1;26(2):1090-111. doi:10.17240/aibuefd.2026. -1701535