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The relation of parenting style to adolescent school performance
S M Dornbusch1, P L Ritter, P H Leiderman
1Stanford Center for the Study of Youth Development, Stanford University, CA 94305.
Child Development
|October 1, 1987
Summary
Authoritative parenting positively impacts adolescent grades, while authoritarian and permissive styles are linked to lower academic performance. These findings hold across diverse student demographics.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Sociology of Education
Background:
- Parenting styles significantly influence child development and outcomes.
- Baumrind's typology (authoritarian, permissive, authoritative) is a foundational framework.
- Understanding the link between parenting and adolescent academic success is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test a refined typology of parenting styles.
- To examine the association between parenting styles and adolescent school performance.
- To explore variations in these associations across demographic groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large, diverse sample (N=7,836) of San Francisco Bay Area high school students.
- Employed a quantitative approach to analyze parenting styles and grades.
- Examined associations across gender, age, parental education, ethnicity, and family structure.
Main Results:
- Authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were negatively associated with grades.
- Authoritative parenting style was positively associated with adolescent grades.
- Pure authoritative families reported the highest mean grades, while inconsistent families reported the lowest.
Conclusions:
- The refined parenting typology effectively predicts adolescent school performance.
- Authoritative parenting is linked to better academic outcomes, while authoritarian and permissive styles are detrimental.
- Demographic factors moderate the strength of these associations, highlighting the complexity of parenting's impact on education.