A Structural Model to Predict Academic Achievement based on Parenting Styles and Parent-Child Relationship among High School Students

The purpose of this research was to develop a structural model for predicting academic achievement based on parenting styles and parent-child relationship among high school students. The statistical population of the study was comprised of all male and female 10th and 11th graders in Tehran in school year 2016-17 (123240 students). To draw the sample, random multi-stage cluster sampling method was utilized and 400 students (220 girls and 180 boys) were selected based on Morgan’s formula. The instruments included Parental Authority Questionnaire (Baumrind, 1973) and the Parent-Child Relationship Survey (Fine et al., 1983). The results indicated that authoritative parenting style had a significant, positive effect on students’ academic achievement. Authoritarian parenting style had a significant, negative effect on academic performance, while indulgent parenting style had a non-significant, negative impact on academic achievement. As to dimensions of mother-child relationship, positive correlations were observed between positive affect, communication, identification and students’ academic achievement, whereas resentment/role confusion had a significant, negative association with academic performance. With regard to components of father-child relationship, communication, positive affect, and interaction had significant, positive associations with academic achievement, while father's anger was negatively associated with academic performance