Does Strength-Based Parenting Predict Academic Achievement? The Mediating Effects of Perseverance and Engagement

Abstract

Strength-based parenting (SBP) is a style of parenting characterized by knowledge and encouragement of a child's unique personality, abilities, talents, and skills (i.e., strengths). Recent studies have demonstrated a unique contribution of SBP, above other parenting styles, in predicting a range of wellbeing indicators in adolescents. Given that wellbeing supports learning, and SBP predicts wellbeing, it is also plausible that adolescents with strength-based parents will have greater academic achievement. At the beginning of term, students from a public secondary school in Australia (N = 741, M age = 13.70, SD = 1.33; 50% female) completed a self-report survey measuring perceptions of parental style, engagement, and perseverance. Subsequent academic results were obtained 3 months later. SBP predicted higher wellbeing in the form of adolescent engagement and perseverance. SBP also demonstrated a significant effect on academic achievement which was mediated by perseverance, but not engagement. Thus, results supported a model in which adolescents with strength-based parents achieved higher grades via increased perseverance. Results reaffirm the importance of the parent-student link, and dispositional qualities of engagement and perseverance, in predicting educational outcomes such as grades. This study extends positive education research beyond the classroom by demonstrating that positive parenting techniques like SBP can predict student wellbeing and academic achievement.

The Mediating Effect of Self-Efficacy in the Connections between Strength-Based Parenting, Happiness and Psychological Distress in Teens

“…Strengths and self-efficacy have both predicted youth wellbeing in past studies ( Caprara et al, 2006 ; Park and Peterson, 2006 ). Research on a new parental style, SBP, indicates that when parents help teens to know about and use their strengths this also fosters adolescent wellbeing and academic outcomes ( Waters, 2015b ; Jach et al, 2017 ; Waters et al, in press ). Increased self-efficacy is one promising mechanism by which SBP may promote wellbeing.…”

“…In teenage samples, SBP predicts life satisfaction over and above other adaptive parental styles, namely authoritative parenting ( Waters, 2015b ), and this prediction remains significant over time. In addition, SBP predicts teenagers own awareness and use of their strengths ( Waters, 2015b ), engagement, persistence and academic grades ( Waters et al, in press ). Interestingly, the relationship between SBP and teen strength use is moderated, to a small degree, by growth mindsets ( Jach et al, 2017 ), suggesting that those teens who are open to growth and change will benefit more from having strength-based parents.…”

Observing Change Over Time in Strength-Based Parenting and Subjective Wellbeing for Pre-teens and Teens

“…Several new strands of positive psychology research are being applied in parenting and family research both in clinical/at risk families and mainstream families. These strands of research include mindful parenting (Dumas, 2005; Geurtzen et al, 2015; Waters, 2016), family centered positive psychology (Sheridan et al, 2004; Sheridan and Burt, 2009), positive family therapy (Shapiro, 2004; Conoley et al, 2015), empathy (Farrant et al, 2011), compassion-focused parenting (Neff and McGehee, 2010; Kirby, 2017; Kirby and Baldwin, 2018) and SBP (Waters, 2015a, b, 2017; Waters and Sun, 2016; Jach et al, 2017; Loton and Waters, 2017; Waters et al, 2019).…”

“…Research on SBP has identified two overarching findings: (1) SBP is a protective factor that is inversely related to anxiety, depression, stress, and negative emotions; and (2) SBP is an enhancing factor that is positively related to life satisfaction, self-confidence, subjective wellbeing, positive emotions, and academic grades. The relationship between SBP and youth mental health is mediated by engagement, self-efficacy, persistence and mental toughness (Loton and Waters, 2017; Sağkal and Özdemir, 2019; Waters et al, 2019). Mindset has been found moderate the relationship between SBP and strength use in teens (Jach et al, 2017).…”

“…No studies have yet examined naturalistic change in SBP across time. While SBP has been treated as a trait-like construct in past studies (Waters, 2015b; Waters et al, 2019) it is also possible that SBP, like many other aspects of parenting, changes across the pre-teen and teen years. The reduced knowledge of parents about their teens, together with reduced teen-parent closeness may provide parents with fewer opportunities to see and acknowledge their teen’s strengths.…”