Patterns of middle-class parenting and adolescent underachievement

To test the hypothesis that the random independent variable of four different patterns of middle-class parenting (e.g., upward striving, overprotective, indifferent, and conflicted) would be reflected in academic achievement, eighty-seven 11th and 12 graders completed a questionnaire concerning their attitudes toward their parents. Upward-striving patterns of parenting were significantly associated with underachievement. Apparently, the prodding and pressuring of these adolescents aroused reactions of anger, resentment, and rebellion. These findings are discussed in terms of adolescents' awareness of the dynamics of parental aspiration and self-performance.