Parenting environment and scholastic achievement during adolescence: A retrospective study

The current paper examines how two parenting styles (the degree to which parents provided an overly protective environment, and a warm and loving environment) relate to educational achievement. We expected that a warm and loving upbringing and an upbringing that is not overly protective would contribute to success at school. Data on the educational careers of 986 Dutch adults aged 18–30 years were gathered both retrospectively and longitudinally. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. The results partly supported our expectations: respondents who felt that their parents provided a warm and loving upbringing dropped out less frequently than others while having had overprotective parents was associated with a longer stay at school and a lower level of education when leaving full-time education, even after controlling other variables. However, warm and loving parenting styles were also associated with a longer stay at school.