Parenting Styles and Teaching

Kimberly Kopko of Cornell Unviersity, Parenting Styles and Adolescents

Diana Baumrind identified four parenting styles:

• Authoritarian: High Demandingness and Low Warmth/Responsiveness. These parents "are strict disciplinarians, use a restrictive, punitive style, and insist that their adolescent follow parental directions. Authoritarian parents invoke phrases such as, 'you will do this because I said,' and 'because I’m the parent and you are not.' Authoritarian parents do not engage in discussions with their teen and family rules and standards are not debated. Authoritarian parents believe the adolescent should accept, without question, the rules and practices that they establish. Research reveals that adolescents of authoritarian parents learn that following parental rules and adherence to strict discipline is valued over independent behavior. As a result, adolescents may become rebellious or dependent. Those who become rebellious might display aggressive behaviors. Adolescents who are more submissive tend to remain dependent on their parents."
• Permissive: Low Demandingness and High Warmth/Responsiveness. These parents "are very warm, but undemanding. They are indulgent and passive in their parenting, and believe that the way to demonstrate their love is to give in to their adolescent’s wishes. Permissive parents invoke such phrases as, 'sure, you can stay up late if you want to,' and 'you do not need to do any chores if you don’t feel like it.' Permissive parents do not like to say no or disappoint their children. As a result, teens are allowed to make many important decisions without parental input. Parents do not view themselves as active participants in shaping their teen’s actions; instead they view themselves as a resource, should the adolescent choose to seek their advice. Research findings show that adolescents of permissive parents learn that there are very few boundaries and rules and that consequences are not likely to be very serious. As a result, teens may have difficulty with self-control and demonstrate egocentric tendencies that can interfere with proper development of peer relationships." 
• Neglectful. Low Demandingness and Low Warmth/Responsiveness. These parents "minimize their interaction time, and, in some cases, are uninvolved to the point of being neglectful. Uninvolved parents are indifferent to their adolescent’s needs, whereabouts, or experiences at school or with peers. Uninvolved parents invoke such phrases as, 'I don’t care where you go,' or 'why should I care what you do?' Uninvolved parents rarely consider their teen’s input in decisions and they generally do not want to be bothered by their teen. These parents may be overwhelmed by their circumstances or they may be self-centered. Parents might also engage in this style if they are tired, frustrated, or have simply 'given up' in trying to maintain parental authority. Research supports that adolescents of uninvolved parents learn that parents tend to be interested in their own lives and less likely to invest much time in parenting. As a result, teens generally show similar patterns of behavior as adolescents raised in permissive homes and they may also demonstrate impulsive behaviors due to issues with self-regulation."
• Authoritative: High Demandingness and High Warmth/Responsiveness. These parents "encourage their adolescent to be independent while maintaining limits and controls on their actions. Authoritative parents do not invoke the 'because I said' rule. Instead, they are willing to entertain, listen to, and take into account their teen’s viewpoint. Authoritative parents engage in discussions and debates with their adolescent, although ultimate responsibility resides with the parent. Research demonstrates that adolescents of authoritative parents learn how to negotiate and engage in discussions. They understand that their opinions are valued.  As a result, they are more likely to be socially competent, responsible, and autonomous."

White parents tend to be authoritative, while parents of color tend to be authoritarian. An authoritarian style might be advantageous in more dangerous inner city neighborhoods. 

"Research findings demonstrate that an authoritative parenting style produces a number of positive developmental outcomes in adolescents. An authoritative parenting style that includes parental monitoring and supervision promotes teen’s exposure to positive activities and reduces teen’s opportunities for engaging in delinquent, risky behaviors. A warm but firm approach to parenting allows teens to be independent within developmentally appropriate parental limits and boundaries."

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Walker, J. M. (2009). Authoritative classroom management: How control and nurturance work together. Theory Into Practice, 48(2), 122-129.

The two dimesnions of parenting style: "control, or enforcing demands for appropriate behavior, and nurtu-rance, or supporting children’s individuality and agency. On the control dimension, Baumrind identified two essential processes: establishment of consistent demands, and scaling up those demands according to children’s developmental capacities for autonomy (known as maturity demands). She identified the nurturance dimension as the process of being responsive and sensitive to the child’s needs. Especially important to this dimension was the provision of resources needed to meet established demands." 

Walker found three 5th grade math teachers who had similar instructional styles but different teaching styles (authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative). At beginning of year, students in all three classes were similar in abilities and level of engagement. Students in authoritative class "were confident, engaged, and made significant year-end achievement gains." This teacher "made consistent demands for compliance and frequent demands for self-management (e.g., 'Okay, pair up. One of you is going to be the problem-solver and the other one is going to be the problem checker. If you are the checker you need to explain how to get the right answer'). She also made twice as many nurturing statements as her teacher peers." "In the authoritarian classroom, students fared well academically; however, they used avoidant, ego-protecting learning strategies." [In other words, they were not engaged.] Although this teacher "consistently demanded compliance, she rarely demanded student self-management. Moreover, she made actively non-nurturing statements (e.g., 'That's irrelevant'; 'I'll zap you')." "Students in the permissive classroom were as engaged as their authoritative peers but made much smaller achievement gains. These results likely stem from this teacher’s use of positive instructional practices within a moderately nurturing and inconsistently controlled context (e.g., 'Since the students who forgot their math books have gone to get them from their locker, the girls can go the bathroom and the boys can get a snack')."

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Wentzel, K. R. (2002). Are effective teachers like good parents? Teaching styles and student adjustment in early adolescence. Child development, 73(1), 287-301.

Wentzel studied 452 6th grade students. Teachers with high expectations had students with more interest in school, fewer irresponsible behaviors, and better grades. Teachers who were critical (non-nurturing) had students who showed less interest in school, more irresponsible behaviors, and lower grades.