ABSTRACT

This study sought to examine the relationship of different parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful) on the students’ self esteem and academic achievement. The design of this study was correlation.The area of the study was Aba education zone of Abia State. Using proportionate random sampling technique, 400 students were sampled for the study. Data were collected using the “Students’Perception of Parenting Styles” (SPPS)questionnaire and “Students’ Self-esteem Scale” (SSES).  The students’ 2015/2016 term results were used to determine the students’ academic achievement. Three research questions and eight hypotheses  guided the study. The first four hypotheses sought to measure the relationship between the different parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful) and self-esteem,whilethe last four hypotheses sought to measure the relationship between the different parenting styles and academic achievement. Percentage, Mean and standard deviation were used to test the research questions while and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation coefficient was used to analyze hypotheses. The result showed that majority of the students surveyed  reported experiencing authoritative parenting styles (34.2%).  25.5% experienced authoritarian, 22.5% experienced permissivewhile 17.8% experienced neglectful parenting styles.The result also shows that authoritative parenting style is the predominant  parenting style in Aba Education zone of Abia State.  Permissive parenting style has the highest level of self-esteem of students in the study area, while Authoritative parenting style has the highest level of academic achievement. The study also showed significant relationship between parenting styles and students self-esteem and academic achievement of students.  Authoritative parenting style was found to be related to high academic performance.The magnitude of the relationship between parenting styles and academic achievement of students was weak, though positive. The findings of the study provided support to the assertion that parenting styles were positively related to self-esteem and academic achievement of students. The study concluded that parenting styles are positively correlated with self-esteem and academic achievements of students.  It was, therefore, recommended that authoritative parenting style should be used situationally with permissive parenting styles in homes.Consistently utilizing these parenting styles might lead to positive developmental outcomes including high self-esteem and high academic achievement among students. Study recommended creation of awareness among parents on the impact of their style of parenting on their children’s development.Among the limitations of the study was the small sample size used. There is need to replicate this study using the Junior Secondary School Students and primary school pupils.