The influence of parenting styles on the academic performance of black high school students

[摘要] English: Numerous studies have suggested that a number of domestic and familialvariables are associated with school performance. High school students whodescribed their parents as authoritative (in the sense that their parents aredeeply committed to their welfare, are responsive to their needs includingeducational ones, are ready to show enthusiasm about their academicsuccesses and accomplishments, and are willing to spend time (within limits)in joint enterprises of the child's needs) perform academically better andbecome more engaged in school than their counterparts from nonauthoritativehomes.The present study intended to investigate whether adolescents' perception oftheir parents' behaviour towards their academic performance contributesanything additionally in the explanation of variance of high schoolperformance to that explained by scholastic intelligence and gender. TheGeneral Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) scores and class examinationresults of the pupils were obtained and these data with the informationobtained from Mboya's Perceived Parental Behaviour Inventory (PPBI)questionnaire constituted the data base of this study. The sample included240 adolescents (105 boys and 135 girls) from four black high schools inThaba Nchu.In the hierarchical (multiple) regression,' the predictor variables were enteredin the equation in the following order: Non-verbal General Scholastic AptitudeTest Scores (GSAT-N), Verbal General Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores(GSAT-V), Gender (Gen), Gen x GSAT-N, Gen x GSAT-V and parental style.There was a very low correlation of 0,099 between an involved parenting styleand academic performance. The amount of variation in academicperformance explained by scholastic aptitude test scores is about 16%.Gender explains an additional 0,7%. Interaction terms between gender andboth GSAT-V and GSAT-N jointly explain an additional variation of 0,9% andparental style explains only about 0,1% of the variation in academicperformance.The finding that parental style did not explain any appreciable variance inacademic performance additionally to that explained by scholastic aptitudepossibly may be due to the emergence of the role of peer pressure inadolescence.

[发布机构] University of the Free State