Skip to main content

Parenting Practices, Parenting Style, and Children’s School Achievement

Psychological Studies volume 55, pages 283–289 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

This study, drawing on data from the 2002 Survey of Approaches to Educational Planning (SAEP), examined the predictive effects of parenting practices and parenting style on children’s school achievement, and the predictive effects of parental expectations and parental beliefs on parenting style for 6,626 respondents with children aged 5–18 years in Canada. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses, after controlling for family socioeconomic status (SES), revealed the substantial positive predictive effects of family SES, parental encouragement, parental expectations, and parental beliefs on children’s school achievement. In contrast, parental monitoring had a substantial negative predictive effect on children’s school achievement in the context of other variables. Although parental expectations were not related to parenting style, parental beliefs were positively associated with both parental encouragement and parental monitoring—the two dimensions of authoritative parenting style.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Aunola, K., Nurmi, J., Lerkkanen, M., & Rasku-Puttonen, H. (2003). The roles of achievement-related behaviours and parental beliefs in children’s mathematical performance. Educational Psychology, 23(4), 403–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behaviour. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75(1), 43–88.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1978). Parental disciplinary patterns and social competence in children. Youth and Society, 9(3), 239–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1991). Parenting styles and adolescent development. In J. Brooks-Gunn, R. Lerner, & A. C. Petersen (Eds.), The encyclopaedia of adolescence (pp. 746–758). New York: Garland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (2005). Patterns of parental authority and adolescent autonomy. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 108, 61–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, R., & Corwyn, R. (2002). Socioeconomic status and child development. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 371–399.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bronstein, P., Ginsburg, G. S., & Herrera, I. S. (2005). Parental predictors of motivational orientation in early adolescence: A longitudinal study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 559–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. J. (1997). The effects of poverty on children. Future of Children, 7(2), 55–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, F. A., & Ramey, C. T. (1994). Effects of early intervention on intellectual and academic achievement: A follow-up study of children from low-income families. Child Development, 65, 684–698.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chao, R., & Willms, D. (2000). Family income, parenting practices, and childhood vulnerability: A Challenge to the ‘culture of poverty’ thesis. Fredericton: Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. M. (1993). Homework-focused parenting practices that positively affect student achievement. In N. F. Chavkin (Ed.), Families and schools in a pluralistic society (pp. 85–105). New York: SUNY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling, N., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting style as context: An integrative model. Psychological Bulletin, 113(3), 487–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis-Kean, P. E. (2005). The influence of parent education and family income on child achievement: The indirect role of parental expectations and the home environment. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 294–304.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeGarmo, D. S., Forgatch, M. S., & Martinez, C. R. (1999). Parenting of divorced mothers as a link between social status and boys’ academic outcomes: unpacking the effects of socioeconomic status. Child Development, 70, 1231–1245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Driscoll, A. K., Russell, S. T., & Crockett, L. J. (2008). Parenting styles and youth well-being across immigrant generations. Journal of Family Issues, 29(2), 185–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-DeHass, A. R., Willems, P., & Holbein, D. M. (2005). Examining the relationship between parent involvement and student motivation. Educational Psychology Review, 17(2), 99–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grolnick, W., Benjet, C., Kurowski, C., & Apostoleris, N. (1997). Predictors of parent involvement in children’s schooling. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 538–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grolnick, W. S. (2003). Control and academics. In W. S. Grolnick (Ed.), The psychology of parental control: How well-meant parenting backfires (pp. 118–133). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heaven, P. C., & Ciarrochi, J. (2008). Parental styles, conscientiousness, and academic performance in high school: a three-wave longitudinal study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 451–461.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2003). A meta-analysis: the effects of parental involvement on minority children’s academic achievement. Education and Urban Society, 35(2), 202–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2005a). The effects of parental involvement on the academic achievement of African American youth. Journal of Negro Education, 74, 260–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2005b). A meta-analysis of the relation of parental involvement to urban elementary school student academic achievement. Urban Education, 40(3), 237–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2005c). A meta-analysis: Parental involvement and secondary student educational outcomes. Evaluation Exchange of the Harvard Family Research Project, 10, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: a meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42(1), 82–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2010a). Parental involvement and academic success. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeynes, W. H. (2010b). The salience of the subtle aspects of parental involvement and encouraging that involvement: Implications for school-based programs. Teachers College Record, 112, 747–774.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. M., Daniels, M. H., & Kissinger, D. B. (2006). Parental influences on adolescent adjustment: Parenting styles versus parenting practices. The Family Journal: Counselling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 14, 253–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Socialization, personality and social development (pp. 1–102). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandell, N., & Sweet, R. (2004). Parental involvement in the creation of home learning environments: Gender and class patterns. In R. Sweet & P. Anisef (Eds.), Preparing for post-secondary education: New roles for governments and families (pp. 249–272). Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks, G. N., Cresswell, J., & Ainley, J. (2006). Explaining socio-economic inequalities in student achievement: The role of home and school factors. Educational Research and Education, 12(2), 105–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, C. (1993). Parental involvement and academic achievement: An analysis of family resources available to the child. In B. Schneider & J. S. Coleman (Eds.), Parents, their children, and schools (pp. 73–113). Boulder: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, C. (1995). Maternal employment, parent involvement, and mathematics achievement among adolescents. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57(1), 85–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niggli, A., Trautwein, U., Schnyder, I., Ludtke, O., & Neumann, M. (2007). Parental homework support can be beneficial, but parental intrusion is detrimental: Family background, parental homework supervision, and performance gains. Psychologie In Erziehung und Unterricht, 54, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuenschwander, M. P., Vida, M., Garrett, J. L., & Eccles, J. S. (2007). Parents’ expectations and students’ achievement in two western nations. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 31, 594–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pomerantz, E. M., & Eaton, M. M. (2001). Maternal intrusive support in the academic context: Transactional socialization processes. Developmental Psychology, 37, 174–186.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pomerantz, E. M., Moorman, E. A., & Litwack, S. D. (2007). The how, whom, and why of parents’ involvement in children’s academic lives: More is not always better. Review of Educational Research, 77, 373–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, M., Theule, J., Ryan, B., Adams, G., & Keating, L. (2009). Parental involvement and children’s school achievement. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 24(1), 34–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sclafani, J. D. (2004). The educated parent: Recent trends in raising children. Westport: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott-Jones, D. (1995). Parent–child interactions and school achievement. In B. A. Ryan, G. R. Adams, T. P. Gullotta, R. P. Weissberg, & R. L. Hampton (Eds.), The family-school connection: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 75–107). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva, M., Dorso, E., Azhar, A., & Renk, K. (2008). The relationship among parenting styles experienced during childhood, anxiety, motivation, and academic success in college students. Journal of College Student Retention, 9, 149–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpkins, S. D., Weiss, H. B., McCartney, K., Kreider, H. M., & Dearing, E. (2006). Mother-child relationship as a moderator of the relation between family educational involvement and child achievement. Parenting: Science and Practice, 6(1), 49–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirin, S. R. (2005). Socioeconomic status and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review of research. Review of Educational Research, 75, 417–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spera, C. (2005). A review of the relationship among parenting practices, parenting styles, and adolescent school achievement. Educational Psychology Review, 17, 125–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spera, C., Wentzel, K., & Matto, H. (2009). Parental aspirations for their Children’s educational attainment: Relations to ethnicity, parental education, children’s academic performance, and parental perceptions of school climate. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 1140–1152.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., Lamborn, S., Dornbusch, S., & Darling, N. (1992). Impact of parenting practices on adolescent achievement: Authoritative parenting, school involvement, and encouragement to succeed. Child Development, 63, 1266–1281.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, B. (2004). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis: understanding concepts and applications. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vista, A., & Grantham, T. (2010). Effects of parental education level on fluid intelligence of Philippine public school students. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 28(3), 236–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7M 5R7

    Shaljan Areepattamannil

Authors
  1. Shaljan Areepattamannil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shaljan Areepattamannil.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Areepattamannil, S. Parenting Practices, Parenting Style, and Children’s School Achievement. Psychol Stud 55, 283–289 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-010-0043-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-010-0043-0

Keywords

  • Parenting practices
  • Parenting style
  • School achievement
  • Parental encouragement
  • Parental monitoring
  • Parental expectations
  • Parental beliefs