Family functioning and perceived academic achievement of adolescents from variable-centered and person-centered perspectives: the roles of teacher support and psychological capital

Introduction Academic achievement is of paramount importance for adolescent development. However, how family functioning affects academic achievement through psychological capital (PsyCap), and the role of teacher support in this process, remain largely unexplored. Moreover, whether PsyCap exhibits heterogeneous profiles and how different environmental factors distinguish among them warrant further investigation. Method A survey was conducted among 1,288 students from eight junior high schools in Jiangxi Province, China, using cluster and convenience sampling. Hayes’ PROCESS macro was used to test the moderated mediation model. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to explore the heterogeneous latent taxonomy of PsyCap. Results Significant positive correlations were observed among family functioning, PsyCap, teacher support, and perceived academic achievement.PsyCap fully mediated the relationship between family functioning and perceived academic achievement. Teacher support significantly moderated the effect of family functioning on PsyCap and the entire mediating pathway. LPA identified three distinct PsyCap profiles: low (15%), moderate (60%), and high (25%). These profiles showed a stepwise pattern of significant differences in perceived academic achievement. The higher the levels of family functioning and teacher support, the more likely students were to be classified into the moderate or high PsyCap profiles, and teacher support exhibited a stronger effect. Discussion By integrating variable-centered and person-centered approaches, this study reveals that family functioning indirectly promotes perceived academic achievement by cultivating PsyCap, and that teacher support strengthens this transformative process, highlighting the synergistic effects of the family and school microsystems.