Are parenting style and relationship quality associated with academic engagement in emerging adulthood?
Open Access
Author:
Waterman, Emily Anne
Graduate Program:
Human Development and Family Studies
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
July 02, 2014
Committee Members:
Eva Sharon Lefkowitz, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Gregory M Fosco, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Douglas Michael Teti, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
emerging adulthood academic engagement college parenting style relationship quality
Abstract:
Although parenting is clearly linked to adolescents’ academic engagement, less is known about links between parenting and academic engagement during emerging adulthood. The current paper uses a diverse sample (N = 633, 53.1% female, 45.7% White or European American, 28.3% Asian American/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 26.4% Hispanic/Latino American, 21.6% Black/African American, 2.8% Native American/American Indian) to examine the associations of earlier parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive) and current parent-offspring relationship quality with academic engagement (academic attitudes, behaviors, and performance). Results indicate that parenting style and parent-offspring relationship quality have more associations with academic attitudes (grade importance) than with behaviors (class attendance) or performance (grade point average). Male and female emerging adults with more permissive mothers tended to view grades as less important. Men with more authoritarian mothers and higher quality relationships with their fathers tended to place more importance on grades. Women with more authoritarian mothers tended to have less frequent class attendance and have lower grade point averages. Discussion highlights the use of both mothers’ and fathers’ parenting in the same model, the utility of Ecological Systems Theory, and areas for future research.
