The Relationship Between Parenting Practices, Socioeconomic Status, and Ethnicity to the Academic Achievement of High School Students

The Relationship Between Parenting Practices, Socioeconomic Status, and Ethnicity to the Academic Achievement of High School Students

Running Head: ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN RELATION TO PARENTING FACTORS

The Relationship Between Parenting Practices, Socioeconomic Status, and Ethnicity to the Academic Achievement of High School Students
Whitney N. Williams
Baylor University

The Relationship Between Parenting Practices, Socioeconomic Status, and Ethnicity to the Academic Achievement of High School Students
It is commonly recognized that expectations for one’s success play an important role in determining academic achievement-related behavioral choices. Because expectations are such important determinants of achievement, it is imperative to identify the factors that influence their development (Frome & Eccles, 1998). Several psychologists conducted studies to show a strong connection between parenting styles and the achievement outcomes of adolescents. The underlying issue becomes whether there is a deeper relationship between parenting styles and adolescent school outcomes across families from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (Spera, 2005).
Many studies have shown that determining a relationship between parenting practices and ethnicity can be pretty inconsistent. Christopher Spera (2005) hypothesized that parents with the same parenting style but different socialization goals will enact unique parenting practices that produce distinct outcomes in their children. He further explained that parents socialize their children differently depending on their culture. However, his research suggested that these goals do not vary dramatically by ethnicity and found that both nonminority and minority parents highly value school and have high aspirations for their children. Another example, in a study by Hae-Seong Park and Scott Bauer (2002), the data reported that European American parents are more authoritative than other ethnic groups, but the relationship between having an authoritative parenting style and student academic achievement is supported only for the majority...

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