Parenting Styles And Students Academic Performance In Social Studies In Secondary Schools

PARENTING STYLES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UKANAFUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

 

Abstract

This research study was carried out to determine the effects of parenting styles on students’ academic achievement in Social Studies in Secondary Schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area. Three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. Two instruments – the questionnaire and Social Studies Achievement Test (SSAT) were used to elicit relevant data to the variables of the research study. The population of the study consisted of all the JSS 1-3 students in all the public secondary schools in the study area.

A total of one hundred and fifty (150) students were randomly selected from six (6) out of twelve (12) public secondary schools and this formed the sample size of the study population. The data collected were analyzed using independent t-test. The findings revealed that parenting style such as “authoritative, neglecting and permissive styles has significant relationship with the academic achievement of the students. Based on the findings of the study, it was commended among others that awareness should be given to parents about the best parenting style through the Parents Teachers Association (PTA).

 

Parenting Styles And Students Academic Performance In Social Studies In Secondary Schools

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Contents                                                                                 Pages

Title Page                                 –        –        –        –        –        –        i

Certification                              –        –        –        –        –        –        ii

Dedication                                –        –        –        –        –        –        iii

Acknowledgements                   –        –        –        –        –        –        iv

Abstract                                    –        –        –        –        –        –        v

Table of Contents                     –        –        –        –        –        –        vi

 

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study          –        –        –        –        –        1

1.2     Statement of the Problem         –        –        –        –        –        3

1.3     Purpose of the Study                –        –        –        –        –        5

1.4     Research Questions                  –        –        –        –        –        6

1.5     Research Hypotheses               –        –        –        –        –        7

1.6     Significance of the Study          –        –        –        –        –        7

1.7     Limitation of the Study              –        –        –        –        –        9

1.8     Definition of Terms                   –        –        –        –        –        10

 

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1     Concept of Parenting Style and Academic Achievement

in Social Studies                        –        –                  –        –        9

2.2     Parenting Style and School Climate     –        –        –        –        19

2.3     Student’s academic achievement        –        –        –        –        20

2.4     Social Studies as a Subject of Study in Junior

Secondary Schools                    –        –        –        –        –        21

2.5     Summary of Literature Review            –        –        –        –        24

 

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS

3.1     Area of the Study                      –        –        –        –        –        25

3.2     Research Design                       –        –        –        –        –        26

3.3     Population of the Study             –        –        –        –        –        26

3.4     Sample and Sampling Technique        –        –        –        –        27

3.5     Instrument for Data Collection  –        –        –        –        –        27

3.6     Validation of Instrument           –        –        –        –        –        27

3.7     Reliability of the Instrument      –        –        –        –        –        28

3.8     Method of Data Analysis           –        –        –        –        –        28

 

CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF DATA AND DISCUSSION

OF FINDINGS

 

4.1     Analysis of Data and Results     –        –        –        –        –        29

4.2     Discussion of Findings              –        –        –        –        –        30

CHAPTER FIVE:   SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND

CONCLUSION

5.1     Summary                        –        –        –        –        –        –        33

5.2     Recommendations           –        –        –        –        –        –        34

5.3     Conclusion                      –        –        –        –        –        –        34

5.4     Suggestions for Further Studies          –        –        –        –        35

          References                      –        –        –        –        –        –        36

          Appendices                     –        –        –        –        –        –        39

 

Parenting Styles And Students Academic Performance In Social Studies In Secondary Schools

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

The family is the smallest and most important unit of the society. It is also the fundamental and important structure of the society that has an important role in one’s life and in the society. It is the first social group a child is exposed to before he/she is allowed to experience learning from other social group.

Also, research has shown that interaction between children and parents and how parents communicate with children are considered to be the most important and fundamental factors among the various factors that affect children’s learning processes. Indeed, the family plays an important role in the academic life of a child. The family teaches the child basic norms, values, attitudes, creating and enabling environment for the child to learn.

Therefore, parenting styles can be defined as a set or a system of behaviours that describes the parents and child interaction over a wide range of situation and create effective interaction atmosphere. Parenting styles determine an effective factor that plays an important role in children’s psychopathology and growth. The relationship of parents with children or parenting style according to Steinberg (2008) is the emotional climate in which parents raise their children and it is characterized by dimensions of parent responsiveness and development and demandingness. Moral and psychological training, identification, growth, and development of children’s talents, skills, familiarizing with the rules and norms of the society from the respective of parents are among those purposes.

Moreso, it is necessary to consider whether the educational success relates to parent’s parenting styles and also determines the relationship of parenting styles with students’ career path. Biabangard (2005) in a study examines the relationship of self-esteem and motivation with educational achievement among students of high schools. The researcher found that there was a significant correlation between self-esteem and achievement motivation and educational achievement. Kefayat (2010) contends that the relationship of parenting styles and attitudes with creativity and its relationship with diligence, educational achievement and progressivist behaviours of students of high schools.

Martin (2003) posits that parenting styles have often presented as a three-category structure which is; authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles. Dorbbusch et al. (2003), views authoritarian parent demands obedience from the child and tries to shape and control the child’s behaviour with an absolute set of standards. In a permissive parenting style and parents tend to offer as much freedom as the child wants, no demanding of any form of conformity as long as the child’s physical safety is not at risk.

An authoritative parent, on the other hand, values both child’s autonomy and open communication with the child. From the report of the scoring focus psychologies exercise examined, the conviction drown is that there was a negative correlation between the various parenting style and students’ academic achievement. This is to say that family characteristic affect students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

 

1.2   Statement of the Problem

Recent studies have challenged the notion that authoritative parenting promotes higher academic achievement noting that, contextual variables such as race, ethnicity in examining this relationship.

Weiss (2006) posits that in addition, some researchers have proposed a reconceptualization of the authoritative parenting styles as well as consideration of the middle range categories of parenting styles in regards to its impact on students’ academic achievement.

Also, Stevenson (2008) observed that different students view education as having different goals. This means that parenting can create a pool of informal citizens with a development ability to think and reason and it can be used to establish students who share a common body of knowledge and who share socialization into the way things are done in a particular society.

Moreso, parenting style is basically a contextual variables, but within the parenting environment (in which specific parenting behaviours are employed to promote achievement). Other individual factors may develop for instance, goal orientation, motivation, and self-efficacy. That may serve to mediate or strengthen the proposed relationship between parenting style and students’ academic achievement.

In addition, it is necessary for the educadtionalist to test the general ability and the relationship between parenting styles and academic achievement among adolescents, and investigate the extent to which authoritative parenting style promotes higher achievement outcomes and other mediating variables such as motivation, goal orientation, and self-efficacy.

Sternberg (2008) concluded that unlike previous study, non-white adolescents and their parents were largely unclassifiable in the traditional parenting style (Chang, 2009). It is based on contradictory findings in the literature on the effect of parenting style on academic achievement, there exists la needs to further examine the contention that authoritative parenting style promotes higher academic achievement among adolescents.

Furthermore, due to evidence in the literature that calls for a reconceptualization of the traditional parenting style dimensions, the general ability among all and ethnic groups of the impact of authoritative parenting on achievement outcome remains questionable.

From the above issues, the major problems necessitating this study was to investigate the influence of parenting style and students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

 

1.3   Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of parenting style and students’ academic achievement in social studies in secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

Specifically, the study was intended to:

1. Determine the influence of authoritative parenting style on students’ academic achievement in social studies in secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.
2. Determine the influence of neglectful parenting style on students’ academic achievement in social studies in secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.
3. Determine the influence of permissive parenting style on students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

 

Parenting Styles And Students Academic Performance In Social Studies In Secondary Schools

1.4   Research Questions  

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1. To what extent does authoritative parenting style influence students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area?
2. How does neglectful parenting style influence students’ academic achievement in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area?
3. To what extent does permissive parenting style influence students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area?

 

1.5   Research Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:

1. There is no significant relationship between authoritative parenting style and students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.
2. There is no significant relationship between neglectful parenting style and students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.
3. There is no significant relationship between permissive parenting style and students’ academic achievement in social studies in junior secondary schools in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

 

1.6   Significance of the Study

The study would be of immense benefit to the following categories of people:

1. The study will be of immense benefit to teachers in helping them to understand the importance of motivation, goal orientation and academic self-efficacy as these factors relate to engaging students in academic tasks.
2. The study will aid parents in allowing them to realize the influence of the parenting environment and parenting style as a contextual element in shaping achievement outcome.
3. The study will help students to develop their potential as they discover the role of motivation, goal orientation and self-efficacy in adapting to diverse learning situations.
4. Moreso, the study will also provide research and recommendation on how parents can assist in improving academic achievement of students in secondary schools.
5. The study therefore, is of importance to school managers since they will be made aware of the importance of learning to parenting style that a student goes through in order to avoid poor academic achievement in secondary schools.
6. It will also be of significant to parents in learning how their parenting styles influence their children’s performance in school.
7. The research will also benefit other researchers in the same field with the literature to support their arguments and hence improve knowledge.

 

1.7   Limitation of the Study

 The following problems were encountered in the course of embarking in the research study:

During the research, the data collection for the study faced problem of poor road, and weather from majority of respondents; so many felt humiliated and considered it as an insult to be respondents. There was case of time, finance as well as forgetfulness on the part of the respondents.

There was problem of outright refusal to return questionnaire despite various attempts to retrieve it, some respondents needed to be guided in order to fill in correctly, hence those who were not bold enough fill incorrectly, hence those who were not bold enough to ask for explanation ended up giving information different from what was expected.

Irrespective of the above stated problems, we have compared the data collected from different sources and having found fundamental consistency.

 

1.8   Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined as follows;

Parenting Styles: It has to do with the standards a parent uses in rearing and raising their children.

Authoritative Parenting Style: It is the process of parenting style which shows that children are expected to obey their parents’ order.

Neglectful Parenting Style: It is the process whereby parents are failing to take care of children.

Permissive Parenting Style: This is the type of parenting style in which freedom of choice is given to the children. Permissive parenting style is also the type of parenting style characterized by low demands with high responsiveness.

Social studies: Is the study of man and his physical environment. It examines man in his physical and social environment, as well as the effects of science and technology on him and his environment.

Junior secondary education: it is an education that is considered as the first phase of secondary education in Nigeria.

Students’ academic achievement: This is referring to the extent in which a student has accomplished their educational goals at the end of learning session.