Parenting Styles and Students Achievement, Research Paper Example

Parenting style is a psychological constructs that correspond to standard strategies used by the parents when bringing up their children. Parents create their own styles by combining several factors, which change with time as the children continue growing, and developing their own personalities through different stages of life. Motivation of students and their academic success is determined by many factors. Individuals learn and perform depending upon behavior, the environment and other personal factors. Personal factors like beliefs, the environment and behaviors influence each other equally. Parenting practices influence and teach some adaptive achievement and motivational practices, these practices determine and manipulate to a great extent the success of a student (Vincent, 2004). They are several types of parenting styles that determine the outcomes of the students in their academic work. Some of the parenting styles include authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting. All those give different outcomes when it comes to academic outcomes.

Authoritative parenting is also called balanced parenting. It is usually responsive and demanding parenting style. Authoritative parenting is usually characterized by an approach that is child centered and holds high expectations of maturity. It also involves compliance to the parental directions and rules. It goes ahead to allow an open dialogue on the behaviors and rules between the parent and the child (Thienhuong, 2007). Authoritarian parenting is also called strict type of parenting; it is a demanding style which on the other hand, is not responsive. It is characterized by high expectations of conforming and compiling to the parental rules as well as directions. Authoritarian parenting allows little open dialogue between the child and the parent. It is punitive and restrictive style whereby the parents exhort children to follow their directions as well as respecting their work and effort. Authoritarian parenting expects a lot from children and do not explain reasoning of the boundaries or even rules. It is usually less responsive to the needs of the children and in most cases parents spanks children rather than discussing the problem.

Another parenting style is permissive parenting. This parenting style gives up most control to the children. In permissive parenting, very few rules are made which they do not enforce consistently. The parents in this parenting style do not want to be tied to the routines, they like their children to feel free (McKay, 2006). Permissive parenting style usually does not set clear expectations or boundaries for the behavior of their children. They accept the behavior of their children in loving and warm way, not matter how the child behaves. Another parenting style is uninvolved parenting; this is characterized by very few demands, little communication and low responsiveness (Santrock, 2007). These parents fulfill all the basic needs of their children but they are detached from the life of their children. Parental involvement is participation and support of parents in the community; home and at the school that positively and directly, affect performance of their children in academics. Parental involvement becomes successful when practiced, viewed and promoted as partnership between school and home (Anne & Dianne, 2007).

Parent efficacy is a belief in one’s abilities, skills and resources to parent effectively. It includes the ability of protecting the children from the influences that are negative, as well as improving the school and community perspective in the children. Parents who have high efficacy have high aspirations for their children, they also have positive outlook for their children’s future. Teacher efficacy is teacher’s belief that whatever he teaches can overcome external factors like home environment. It can also be viewed as teacher’s thinking or belief about her/his own competence (Shin & Carin, 2005).

They are several advantages that are associated with parent’s involvement in the children’s activities. It makes students to develop a positive attitude towards academic work or school. The parent involvement also enables higher achievement in reading by the children with higher quality of home work. The children are also able to have a positive perception of school-home connection (Lisa, 2004). Authoritarian parenting has various benefits; it usually leads to children who are proficient and obedient. Authoritative parenting is also beneficial in that it results to children who are capable and successful.

Parental styles and involvements have several disadvantages. Both in authoritarian and authoritative parenting style, children usually rank lower in social competence, self esteem and happiness. Permissive parenting style also has several problems; children in most cases experiences problems with school authority or any other authority (Furedi, 2001). Children in this parenting style also tend to perform poorly in the school. In uninvolved parenting style, children usually are less competent and have low esteem. They usually lack self control.

There are various strategies that parents put in place to ensure that their children conform to their requirements. In authoritative parenting, parents demand for maturity as well as setting limits. Parents set clear standards to their children which they expect them to do. This strategy also applies to authoritarian parenting style (Hoang, 2007). Other parenting styles like permissive and uninvolved in most cases do not lay any strategies to their children. Schools lay strategies on assisting parents to increase their efficacy. Teachers usually promote successful individual experiences for the members of the family. Schools also help family members in learning from each other. It also offers encouragement. The last strategy that school lays for the family is, focusing on emotional well being and reducing stress among the children (Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler & Brissie, 1992).

Parenting style has been seen to go hand in hand with the behavior and the academic achievement of the children. Authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles have been seen to be the best types of parenting. They give the highest academic achievement compared to others. Children who are in this type of parenting style usually perform very well due to the guidance they get from their parents. Permissive and uninvolved style of parenting usually produces the students who perform poorly in the academic work.

References

Anne, S. & Dianne, F. (2007, June). About four ways to increase parental efficiency? Retrieved February 25, 2010, from             http://www.urbanschools.org/pdf/parent_efficacy.pdf?v_document_name=Increase%20Parental%20Efficacy

Furedi, F. (2001). Paranoid Parenting: Why Ignoring the Experts May Be Best for Your Child. London: Allen Lane.

Hoang, T. N. (2007). The Relations between Parenting and Adolescent Motivation. International Journey of whole schooling. 3(2), 1-21.

Hoover-Dempsey, K.V., Bassler, O.C., & Brissie, J.S. (1992). Explorations in parent school relations. Journal of Educational Research, 85(5), 287-294.

Lisa, D. (2004). Good parents Bad Parenting. New York: Lulu publishers.

McKay, M. (2006). Parenting practices in emerging adulthood: Development of a new measure. Thesis. Birmingham: Brigham Young University.

Santrock, J.W. (2007). A topical approach to life-span development, third Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Shin, J. & Carin, N. (2005, May). Teacher Efficacy research from an Agentic view. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from             http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3325/is_4_9/ai_n29236324/pg_3/

Thienhuong, N.H. (2007). The Relations between Parenting and Adolescent Motivation. International Journey of whole schooling. 3(2), 1-21.

Vincent, I. (2004, December). Parenting Styles. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http://pediatrics.about.com/od/infantparentingtips/a/04_pntg_styles.htm