School Competence among Adolescents in Low-Income Families: Does Parenting Style Matter?

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated parenting styles and self-perceived school competence among low-income adolescents in Norway. The purpose of the study was threefold: 1) to identify differences, if any, in self-perceived school competence between low-income ethnic Norwegians and low-income ethnic minorities; 2) to determine differences, if any, in the perception of parenting styles between the groups; and 3) to determine if parenting styles predict self-perceived school competence in the two groups. The sample consisted of 253 adolescents 12-18 years of age; 130 adolescents were ethnic Norwegians, and 123 were from ethnic minorities. Self-perceived school competence was measured using the Scholastic Competence subscale of Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. Perception of parenting style was measured with the following three scales: support, monitoring and neglect. An independent-samples t-test revealed that ethnic minorities reported higher levels of self-perceived school competence than did ethnic Norwegians. No significant difference between the groups in their perception of parenting styles was observed. Support and monitoring were positively correlated with school competence, whereas neglect was negatively correlated with school competence. When all three parenting styles were entered separately into standard multiple regression analyses for the two groups, a high degree of perceived neglect significantly predicted low self-perceived school competence in both groups. This finding indicates how schools and policy makers can explore the types of support that families may need to adopt better upbringing styles.

The parents' tale: Why parents resist the educational use of smartphones at schools?

“…This suggests that parents who are characterized by an authoritative parenting style are less likely to resist their children's use of smartphones in learning. Our findings reinforce previous studies in the field, which were not related to technology-enhanced learning, that have found that parenting styles in general, and the authoritative parenting style in particular, are powerful predictors of children's well-being in social, psychological and academic realms (Johnsen et al, 2018;Turner, Chandler & Heffer, 2009;Warren et al, 2018). Authoritative parents tend to give their consent to the use of smartphones in learning.…”

“…Another parenting style, added later by Maccoby and Martin (1982), is the uninvolved style. The parenting styles typology has been found in many studies as a predictor of the child's welfare in the social, scholastic, behavioral and psychosocial spheres (Baumrind, 1991;Johnsen, Bjørknes, Iversen., & Sandbaek, 2018;Miller et al, 1993, Querido, Warner & Eyberg, 2002Weiss & Schwarz, 1996). Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated the impact of parenting styles on parents' reactions to their children's use of smartphones (Hwang et al, 2017;Jang & Ryu, 2016):…”

“…The uninvolved parenting style refers to parents who do not set high standards for their children, are indifferent to their children's needs, and are uninvolved in their lives. Their children are usually low-achievers, have communication problems (as a results of lacking belief in themselves and others) and behavioral problems, and tend to be involved in risk behaviors (Maccoby & Martin, 1982;Johnsen al., 2018;Querido et al, 2002;Weiss & Schwarz, 1996). Regarding technology use, uninvolved parents do not mediate their children's media consumption (Uhls & Robb, 2017).…”

Relationship between Parenting Style and Mental Health among the Female Adolescents in Tabuk City, KSA

“…In Norway, support, monitoring and neglect have no significant difference between 253 adolescents 12-18 years of age in their perception of parenting styles 18 .…”

Adolescents’ academic self-efficacy and emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent profile analysis of family and school risk factors.

“…As for family factors, parental behaviors such as help with organizing study and positive reinforcement are predictive of academic self-efficacy (e.g., González-Pienda et al, 2003). Behaviors less closely linked to studying—such as general support, monitoring, or negligence—are also related to students’ self-efficacy (Johnsen et al, 2018; Simpkins et al, 2020). Students’ general mood is also predicted by parents’ behaviors and attitudes.…”