Parenting Styles and Learners’ Performance: Evidence from Junior Secondary Schools in Botswana

Abstract

Education is a lifetime achievement that contributes towards the socio-economic development of the society particularly youth. Parenting style plays an important role in education of their children and thus, shaping their career. The study analysed the influence of different parenting styles on the academic performance of students in Junior Secondary Schools in Botswana. Quantitative data was collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire through a survey of randomly sampled 130 students (n = 130) in Junior Secondary Schools. One way Analysis of Variance revealed that none of the parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful style had significant influence on students’ academic performance. It implied that parents are not the only factors that can affect the children’s academic performance. As parenting styles shown insignificant influence on student academic performance, a similar study can be conducted by including some other parental factors which might have influence on students’ performance. In order to gain deeper understanding on the influence of parenting styles on student’s academic achievement, a qualitative study can be conducted using perceptions of students and parents.