Exploring the relation between parenting style and children’s self-concept and subjective and objective metacognition

Abstract

Objective. To examine the relationship between parenting styles (of mothers and fathers), children’s self-concept, and subjective and objective measures of metacognition, and to investigate whether self-concept and parenting style predicted metacognition. Methodology. A convenience sample of 196 students who belong to an official educational institution was used; this study implemented a quantitative correlational design. The study also used a series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models to examine the extent to which mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles as well as children’s self-concept predicted children’s subjective metacognitive awareness and objective metacognitive monitoring. Results. Parenting styles predicted metacognition in three learning domains (reading comprehension, mathematics, and similarities), although in different ways. Furthermore, children’s self-concepts also predicted metacognition in all three domains. Conclusion. Education must extend beyond school and children to include family. These educational outreach efforts should incorporate more than just how family life affects learning outcomes, such as children’s performance in academic domains, but also how family life affects children’s metacognitive abilities.