Building math confidence in teens: Why parents’ and teachers’ high expectations matter

Key takeaways for caregivers

• Parents’ expectations matter. In Singapore, where academic excellence is closely tied to family honor, adolescents who felt their parents believed in their mathematics abilities reported stronger math confidence, greater motivation, and better well‑being.
• Confidence in math is key. Students who saw themselves as good at math tended to be more engaged in school, persevered more, and felt happier and more optimistic than peers who lacked confidence in the subject.
• Teachers play a vital supporting role. Students who perceived high teacher expectations also reported a stronger sense of confidence and well-being. These perceptions complemented perceived parental expectations.
• Strong parent-teacher partnerships may help. Collaborations bridging home and school that communicate high yet supportive expectations.

This blog post was written by Ishani Bharadwaj and Tamara Spiewak Toub in collaboration with study author Gregory Arief D. Liem. It is based on research originally published in Liem, G. A. D., Wong, Z. Y., Chan, M., Liu, W. C., Zainudin, N. I., Tan, S. H., Poon, K. K., Kang, T., & Ng, S. C. (2025). Perceived parental expectations and their role in academic and psychosocial functioning. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 49(5), 431–445. 

Cultural expectations for high academic achievement

Children grow up in broad social and cultural environments that help shape their understanding of their role as students and their potential for success in different subjects or future careers. The explicit content and delivery of adults’ messaging about their expectations for youth vary based on a combination of cultural norms and individual values and personalities.

In Singapore, as in many East Asian societies, education is seen as the pathway to success and family honor. In this context, the importance of a student’s academic success goes beyond personal goals to include implications for family reputation. This pressure increases the risks of intense competition among students and associated anxiety and stress.

High expectations at home and in school

The Asian values of interdependence, hard work, and family allegiance inspire parents to explicitly communicate high expectations for academic success. They do so by managing their children’s study schedules, providing opportunities for academic enrichment, and closely monitoring academic progress.

At home, Singaporean students absorb this parental messaging about high expectations. At school, they also receive feedback from their teachers on their performance and behavior in the classroom. This feedback suggests another set of expectations about students’ achievement.

Believing that others believe in you

Students’ perceptions of these expectations are linked to many aspects of their development. They may influence motivation, class-related skills and knowledge, and achievement, as well as broader elements of well-being, such as confidence, engagement, and satisfaction. When adolescents believe their parents and teachers believe in them, are they more likely to do better in school and in other aspects of life?

The case of mathematics: Perceived expectations in a highly valued subject

Among the subjects in Singapore’s curriculum, math stands out as a focus of attention and high expectations from both parents and teachers. The subject is widely recognized as challenging and as being essential for educational and career success.

But math differs from other subjects, such as language-based curricula like reading, because most parents do not usually engage directly with math content at home. Instead, they communicate expectations through broader messages about their children’s diligence, perseverance, and responsibility. These messages reinforce the importance of the subject – a value that children and youth internalize.

The subject is widely recognized as challenging and as being essential for educational and career success.

At school, students perceive teachers’ expectations through the design of math lessons, structured feedback, and support when they encounter difficulties. Together, these parental and teacher perspectives provide complementary sources of encouragement and reinforcement.

Our study into the impact of expectations on math confidence in teens

We conducted a pair of studies in Singapore to investigate how students’ perceptions of parents’ and teachers’ math expectations were linked to academic and non-academic (i.e., those related to well-being) outcomes. For each study, we surveyed students (average age of 14 years) across three secondary grades at a variety of schools; almost half of the students in the studies identified as female.

Surveying students’ perceptions of math expectations

School personnel administered our surveys twice during the school year: after Term 1 and again near the end of the year. This allowed us to see how perceived expectations and student outcomes changed over time.

Both studies included items to capture students’ perceptions of their parents’ and their teachers’ math expectations. For example, we asked students how strongly they agreed that their parents or teacher “believe(s) I can do well in math.”

Students’ academic outcomes in math

In study 1 (2,632 students), the surveys focused on three main academic outcomes: math confidence (e.g., agreement with the statement “I am good at math”), math motivation (e.g., to avoid getting into trouble, to learn new skills, or because it is fun), and math achievement goals (e.g., to perform better than peers, to learn as much as possible).

Students’ well-being when studying math

In study 2 (450 students), we added surveys about five dimensions of well being as outcomes:
1. Engagement (e.g., “I get completely absorbed in what I am doing”)
2. Perseverance (e.g., “Once I make a plan to get something done, I stick to it”)
3. Optimism (e.g., “I think that good things are going to happen to me”)
4. Connectedness (e.g., “There are people in my life who really care about me”)
5. Happiness (e.g., “I love life”)

How to build confidence in math: Parents and Teachers Matter

Our statistical methods considered differences between boys and girls, younger and older adolescents, and the three math proficiency levels. Based on consistent patterns in the results, we identified four main findings about the links between perceived expectations and student outcomes:

1. Parents’ expectations had the strongest influence on math confidence

Adolescents who felt their parents believed in their math abilities reported higher levels of math confidence, stronger motivation, and greater well being. We did not delve into these links to determine whether or how perceived parental expectations caused these better outcomes.

However, research into related dynamics suggests that students might find inspiration in parents’ explicit expressions of confidence and efforts to provide resources to support their math performance. Particularly in this cultural context, students might internalize parents’ expectations as personal goals, striving to meet them as a way of honoring their family’s investments and sacrifices.

Adolescents who felt their parents believed in their math abilities reported higher levels of math confidence, stronger motivation, and greater well being.

2. Math teachers’ expectations also played a distinct and complementary role

Students’ belief that their teachers had high expectations for their math achievement was also linked to their academic and well-being outcomes. For example, when students had positive perceptions of teachers’ expectations, they were more motivated by personal interests and values than by external reasons. They also reported feeling more connected to others and happier.

The roles of students’ perceptions of teachers’ and parents’ expectations amplified each other. When adolescents believed both parents and teachers held high expectations, they reported stronger math confidence, greater connectedness, and more happiness.

3. Mathematics confidence was central to students’ motivation and well-being

Students’ impressions of their parents’ and teachers’ expectations predicted math confidence. In turn, math confidence was closely tied to students’ motivation and most outcomes related to well-being, including engagement, perseverance, optimism, and happiness (but not connectedness). In fact, math confidence played a significant role in the links between perceived expectations and student outcomes.

Our findings highlight the importance of adolescents’ academic views of themselves. Seeing themselves as competent in math contributed not only to stronger motivation but also to a broader sense of well-being, underscoring the link between academic identity and overall psychological health.

Insight into the formation of math confidence and its role in students’ development can help inform strategies to support adolescents as they navigate this challenging academic subject. One way to build students’ math confidence could be to facilitate the supportive communication of appropriately high expectations at home and at school.

4. First impressions of teachers’ math expectations can be especially powerful

While links between student outcomes and perceived parents’ expectations remained steady throughout the year, links to perceived teacher expectations were most powerful early in the year. Students who reported at the start of the year that their teachers already believed they would do well in math showed stronger self-motivation and well‑being later in the year.

Those early perceptions of teachers’ beliefs may be especially important in shaping students’ math confidence and, in turn, their academic outcomes and broader well-being.

Implications for parents and teachers building math confidence in teens

The results of our study have implications for parents and other caregivers, as well as teachers:

Set high but realistic math expectations expressed with warmth and support

In the context of math, students’ belief that their parents and teachers believed in them seemed to set the stage for success. Adolescents’ perceptions of parental expectations were the strongest predictor of math confidence, motivation, and psychosocial well‑being. These perceptions are shaped, in part, by adults’ communication about their expectations, which can include encouraging feedback, warmth, and support (rather than conditional approval) during challenges.

Focus on growth, not comparison

High expectations are most supportive when they emphasize effort, growth, and learning rather than comparisons to peers. An emphasis on growth helps children develop confidence and self-motivation rather than working under pressure to perform well. When children know they can improve, regardless of their current abilities, they are more likely to persevere and achieve.

Encourage autonomy

When students feel ownership of their learning, they are more likely to embrace self-determined motivation and learning goals than to work to please others or avoid losing unnecessary races with peers. This type of self-determined motivation and goal setting is consistent with higher levels of engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness. If students perceive parents’ and teachers’ expectations that facilitate autonomy, they are more likely to step up to that challenge and be better prepared for success.

Communicate regularly

Parents and teachers should communicate regularly to align on high yet realistic expectations. Joint support helps strengthen students’ confidence, happiness, and motivation.

Balance cultural pressures

Parents and teachers should be mindful of how societal values can increase pressure on children. In contexts like Singapore, where academic success (especially in math) is closely tied to future success, adults can help by communicating about the values of balance, resilience, and well-being.