Page 278 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 278
ear ly school leaving: contempor ary european perspectives
The relationship between a broader conceptualisation of parenting
practices (such as the parenting style) and ESL has not often been studied,
although some studies have found a direct link between parenting style
and school completion (see Figure 14). One of the cross-sectional stud-
ies in this field was conducted by Rumberger, Ghatak, Poulos, Ritter and
Dornbusch (1990). The study was based on Baumrind’s (1971, 1991) parent-
ing style typology and provides evidence that adolescents with authorita-
tive parents are less likely to leave school prematurely compared to adoles-
cents raised by permissive parents. Another longitudinal study (Blondal
& Adalbjarnardottir, 2009) indicates that 14-year-olds from authoritative
families are more likely to have completed upper secondary education by
age 22 compared to adolescents from non-authoritative families (when con-
trolling for gender, SES, temperament, and parental involvement).
Conclusions and implications for practice
The evidence presented in this article shows that specific parenting prac-
tices and also a broader concept of parental dimensions defined as par-
enting styles have an important impact on ESL and its prevention (e.g.
Archambault, Janosz, Fallu, & Pagani, 2009; Ensminger, Lamkin, &
Jacobson, 1996; Finn, 1989; Simpkins, Fredericks, & Eccles, 2015). For exam-
ple, parent-child/adolescent relationship factors such as caregiving quality,
parental support (instrumental and emotional), hostility and rejection, and
parent-child/adolescent communications all predict ESL or, on the other
hand, high school completion (e.g. Brewster & Bowen, 2004; Jimerson et
al., 2000). In a broader conceptualisation of a child’s upbringing, such as
the parenting style (as defined by Baumrind (1971)), authoritative parent-
ing style (parents’ accepting, warm and encouraging yet firm behaviour to-
wards their children/adolescents, with clear standards and expectations for
their behaviour) has the most favourable impact on their development and
also acts as an ESL preventive factor (e.g. Steinberg, 2001).
In the light of the presented findings and conclusions, it would be ad-
visable to present these findings to parents, different profiles of school work-
ers and multi-partner teams that focus in their work on preventing ESL and
other school-related problems. Moreover, it might also be useful to present
these findings to teachers since some researchers have compared teaching
styles to parenting styles. They found that teachers’ characteristics similar
to those parenting practices characterised as authoritative (warm and au-
tonomy-supportive as opposed to controlling) were found to be positively
278
The relationship between a broader conceptualisation of parenting
practices (such as the parenting style) and ESL has not often been studied,
although some studies have found a direct link between parenting style
and school completion (see Figure 14). One of the cross-sectional stud-
ies in this field was conducted by Rumberger, Ghatak, Poulos, Ritter and
Dornbusch (1990). The study was based on Baumrind’s (1971, 1991) parent-
ing style typology and provides evidence that adolescents with authorita-
tive parents are less likely to leave school prematurely compared to adoles-
cents raised by permissive parents. Another longitudinal study (Blondal
& Adalbjarnardottir, 2009) indicates that 14-year-olds from authoritative
families are more likely to have completed upper secondary education by
age 22 compared to adolescents from non-authoritative families (when con-
trolling for gender, SES, temperament, and parental involvement).
Conclusions and implications for practice
The evidence presented in this article shows that specific parenting prac-
tices and also a broader concept of parental dimensions defined as par-
enting styles have an important impact on ESL and its prevention (e.g.
Archambault, Janosz, Fallu, & Pagani, 2009; Ensminger, Lamkin, &
Jacobson, 1996; Finn, 1989; Simpkins, Fredericks, & Eccles, 2015). For exam-
ple, parent-child/adolescent relationship factors such as caregiving quality,
parental support (instrumental and emotional), hostility and rejection, and
parent-child/adolescent communications all predict ESL or, on the other
hand, high school completion (e.g. Brewster & Bowen, 2004; Jimerson et
al., 2000). In a broader conceptualisation of a child’s upbringing, such as
the parenting style (as defined by Baumrind (1971)), authoritative parent-
ing style (parents’ accepting, warm and encouraging yet firm behaviour to-
wards their children/adolescents, with clear standards and expectations for
their behaviour) has the most favourable impact on their development and
also acts as an ESL preventive factor (e.g. Steinberg, 2001).
In the light of the presented findings and conclusions, it would be ad-
visable to present these findings to parents, different profiles of school work-
ers and multi-partner teams that focus in their work on preventing ESL and
other school-related problems. Moreover, it might also be useful to present
these findings to teachers since some researchers have compared teaching
styles to parenting styles. They found that teachers’ characteristics similar
to those parenting practices characterised as authoritative (warm and au-
tonomy-supportive as opposed to controlling) were found to be positively
278
