This study examined the impact of “authoritative parenting, parental involvement in schooling, and parental encouragement to succeed on adolescent school achievement” (Steinberg, Lamborn, Dornbusch, & Darling, 1992) on a sample of 14-18 year olds, over a period of two years, where data were compared and correlated between sets.
The sample under study included 6,400 American students between 14 and 18 years old, composed of an “ethnically and socioeconomically heterogeneous sample” (Steinberg et al., 1992). The study was conducted between 1987 and 1988.
One research question the study hoped to gain insight from was whether or not “authoritative parenting (high acceptance, supervision, and psychological autonomy granting) leads to better adolescent school performance and stronger school engagement” (Steinberg et al., 1992).
The study found “that students who describe their parents as authoritative—warm, firm, and democratic—report better school performance and stronger school engagement than their peers” (Steinberg et al., 1992) but interestingly enough, also discussed the possible correlation that perhaps authoritative parenting models does not “rule out the very plausible possibility that adolescent achievement also provokes authoritative parenting” (Steinberg et al., 1992).
Depending on the model of parenting parents actually adopt, whether planned and on purpose, or by accident, there are clear correlations between parenting style and school performance in adolescents. Parents that adopt a authoritative model tend to see higher levels of performance in their children than parents who adopt a non- authoritative parenting model. In fact, “nonauthoritative parenting can partially undermine the beneficial effect of parental school involvement” (Steinberg et al., 1992). Understanding parenting models, and being able to support parents in a school district could be key to increasing overall student achievement among all students in a given district based on the correlating data shown in this study.
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Steinberg, L., Lamborn, S. D., Dornbusch, S. M., & Darling, N. (1992). Impact of Parenting Practices on Adolescent Achievement: Authoritative Parenting, School Involvement, and Encouragement to Succeed. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1992.tb01694.x