The influence of parenting styles on children’s academic achievement motivation in Jinja municipality primary schools, Uganda

Abstract

The study was conducted to ascertain the influence of parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglecting) on children’s’ achievement motivation in Jinja municipality primary schools, Uganda. The specific objectives that guided the study were: to find out the relationship of authoritative parenting style in relation to children achievement motivation, to establish the relationship between authoritarian parenting style in comparison with children achievement motivation, to determine the relationship of permissive parenting style in proportionate to children achievement motivation and to ascertain the relationship between neglecting parenting style and children achievement motivation in jinja municipality. The study was principally quantitative; and a descriptive cross sectional survey research design was used in the study. The population of the study was 1782 sampled as 318 for students and the school teachers in administration were 21 in which 18 were sampled purposely. The sampling techniques were simple random sampling, cluster sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data was collected through questionnaires for students and for school teachers in administration as well. The analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient techniques and regression analysis. The study found a substantial and significant relationship between authoritative parenting style and achievement motivation, moderate relationship between authoritarian parenting style and achievement motivation and there is significant relationship amongst the two, no correlational relationship and significant relationship between permissive parenting style and achievement motivation and finally negligible correlational relationship between neglecting parenting style and achievement motivation and with no significant relationship between them. The validity of the instruments was 0.97 and their reliability was found to be 0.83. Conclusions were that: parenting styles (authoritative and authoritarian) had significant influence on children achievement motivation in Jinja municipality primary schools. However, permissive and neglecting parenting style had shown no significant influence on children achievement motivation in the municipality primary schools. Nevertheless, the findings of the present study should be seen as a guideline for future research rather than as definite answers. Recommendation was that, government should make sensitization programs directing parents to constructively and patiently guide their children, parents should try as much as they can to be warm, nurturance, and more close to their children for it will make them (the children) to be highly individuated, to have high internalization of prosocial values and also help them tremendously in their ego development, parents should know that productive love upon a child does not stop at being warm, responsive, making rational manipulations but also with control to some issues and parents should completely desist from neglecting parenting practice for it make children to be very less competent and achievement oriented.