The Effects of Parent's Child Rearing Styles on Children's Performing Ritualistic Acts

Family is one of the most important social units that could have powerful and profound effects on the children's spiritual and religious education. In this research we study different parenting styles and their effects on the fulfillment of religious duties among third-year junior high school girls who are at grade eighth. The type of this research is descriptive-hermeneutic. The methodology of this research is qualitative and quantitative (mixed method).Statistical population of this research includes third-year junior high school girls and their mothers. The sample set was collected using random sampling for the quantitative method and purposive sampling for the qualitative method. The sample size was seventy girls for the quantitative method and eighteen girls and their mothers (36 participants) for the qualitative methods. In quantitative methods, teenagers were asked to fill in Baumrinds standardized questionnaire. The results suggested three different educational styles used by students’ parents; authoritative, authoritarian and permissive. For the qualitative method in-depth interviews were conducted. The findings of the research were analyzed and compared and conclusions were drawn. The results showed that the numbers of teenagers who had permissive parents were more than teenagers with authoritative and authoritarian parents. In addition, it was found out that the teenagers with authoritative parents were in a more ideal situation than the teenagers with authoritarian and permissive parents in terms of fulfilling their worship. It means that the correct behavior of authoritative parents; they have been able to be a good model for the children. Among the worships all the teenagers paid attention firstly to fasting in Ramadan month, secondly, saying their prayers, and lastly, reading the holy Quran. In addition to the effects of parents, they also mentioned religious studies teachers, religious programs at school, friends, relatives, and reading books as effective factors.