Perception of parenting styles and academic achievement: The mediating role of goal orientations

This study examined the relation between of the adolescents' perception of parenting styles with their goal orientations and academic achievement. The mediational role of goal orientations in the associations between parenting styles and achievement was also investigated. The sample included 174 high school students (59.8% girls) aged between 14 and 18. The adolescents completed measures regarding their perception of parenting styles and goal orientations. The findings showed that parenting styles were significantly associated with adolescents' goal orientations and academic achievement. Further, the goal orientations mediated the relations between perception of parenting styles and achievement. Specifically, the parental rejection was associated with achievement due to its association with mastery goals, while the parental autonomy was associated with academic achievement due to its association with mastery-avoidance goals. The findings highlight the importance that parenting, in interrelation with goal orientations, plays in the high school adolescents' achievement.