Assignments Notes

Background Info:
Parenting Styles
- Diana Baumrind (1971, 1991) identified 3 parenting styles in Caucasian middle-class
American families
Authoritarian: strict with children, parents give little opportunity for children to play freely or
explore. Children receive punishment when they are disobedient. Parents are unsympathetic
and show little affection towards child. Value obedience from the child and authority for
themselves.
Permissive: allow children a lot of freedom. Rarely use discipline and have little control over
the childs behaviour.
Authoritative: supportive of children but set clear and firm limits. Parents reason with child
and encourage give-and-take procedures. Baumrind (1991) and Weiss& Schwarz (1996) found
children with authoritative parents show the best social and emotional adjustment and lowest
levels of behavior prolems. This is among Caucasian middle-class American families.
Uninvolved: neglectful parents, unresponsive, rejecting of children. Childrens actions garner
no consequences or response from parents. Children with uninvolved parents fare the wrot.
Yet, Baumrinds findings are only correlational, not cause-and-affect studies. Is there are partly
genetic origin? Cross-cultural validity? Invidualistic vs collectivist cultures?
Park and Bauer: Parenting Practices, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status and Academic
Achievement in Adolescence
Background
- Previously efforts to boost academic achievement in the US were focused on improving
the quality of the education system i.e. school resources, teacher qualifications.
However, factors outside of school should also be carefully considered, specifically
parenting practices.
- Many studies reveal adolescents raised by authoritative parenting (supportive,
empathetic, accepting but still set firm boundaries) are more associated with high
academic achievement than adolescents brought up by authoritarian or permissive
parents.
- However this is inconsistent across different culture. E.g. Asian-Americans tend to
prefer authoritarian style of parenting, however their children tend to exhibit more
academic success than European-American adolescents.
- Chinese parents: express the high value they put on education, the greater investment
and sacrifice they feel to offer = direct intervention approach to childrens schooling
and a belief that they can play a significant role in the school success of their children.
Emphasis on obedience push children to achieve educational success
- European Americans: social skills are more important, focus on building childrens self
esteem.
- Authoritarian style from parents in Hong Kong, America and Australia who did not have
a college education however not conclusive

Validity of research: inconsistencies, methodological problems (i.e. sampling bias),

affect of socioeconomic status
Questions
1. Is there a relationship between parenting practices and academic achievement?
2. If the socioeconomic statuses of participants are controlled, do parenting practices still
have a significant impact on students academic achievement?
3. Is this relationship generalizable across various ethnic groups in America?
4. If there is a relationship, does an authoritative parenting style have the most positive
impact on academic achievement?
Method
Subjects
- National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) info on educational, vocational and
cultural developments of a base sample as they progressed from middle school to high
school to adulthood
o 25000 eight graders in 1988.
o Random selection of 26432 students, participation of 24600 students
o 4 ethnic groups Asian Americans, Hispanics, African Americans and European
Americans
Variables
- parenting styles, socioeconomic status and ethnicity
- Parenting styles determined by 16 questions from the student questionnaire 4
factors categorized parenting style i.e. supervision (parents nosiness in students life),
strictness (punishment/limitations for playing video games, watching TV, tie with
friends), support e.g. attend parent-teacher meetings, school events, volunteer at
school, involvement (how involved parents are in students life e.g. discussion of
grades, school activities, studies, college)
- The four parenting styles were classified according to parenting practices
o Authoritative: high on acceptance/involvement and strictness/supervision
o Authoritarian: