Maternal Parenting Styles, School Involvement, and Children's School Achievement and Conduct in Singapore

This study examined the roles of children's perceptions of maternal parenting styles (warmth, psychological control, and behavioral control) and maternal involvement in school-focused parenting practices (home-based involvement, home-school conferencing, and school-based involvement) predicting children's school achievement and conduct in Singapore. Students (N = 712) in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades completed questionnaires on their mothers' parenting styles and school-focused parenting practices. Student achievement and conduct were assessed using achievement tests and conduct grades. Achievement was predicted by parenting styles (warmth, behavioral control, and psychological control) after adjusting for gender, grade, ethnicity, and maternal education. School-focused parenting practices predicted achievement and conduct after adjusting for parenting styles. Parenting styles moderated the relationships among parenting practices and achievement and conduct. Maternal warmth increased the relationship between maternal school-based involvement and children's achievement. In addition, behavioral control increased the relationship between home-based involvement and appropriate school conduct. Gender and grade also moderated the relationships among parenting styles and school involvement and achievement. The relationship between warmth and achievement was stronger for girls than boys, whereas there was a stronger relationship between home-based school involvement and achievement for boys than for girls. Warmth predicted achievement in 3rd grade but not in the older grades. Overall, the findings provide support for the hypothesis that school-focused parenting practices predict achievement and conduct after adjusting for parenting styles and for the hypothesis that parenting styles moderate parenting practices.