Parenting Styles, Academic Achievement and the Influence of Culture

Abstract

There is robust evidence on the influence of parenting styles on children and adolescents academic achievement. Based on Baumrind’s model of parenting styles, the majority of studies conclude that the authoritative parenting style is the most efficient to enhance academic achievement, in contrast to authoritarian and permissive parenting styles that are most commonly associated with academic achievement in a negative direction. However, there is an important line of research that indicates that culture plays a crucial role in the relation between parenting and academic success and that Baumrind´s model may not always fit the parenting styles observed in non-western societies.