Effect of Authoritarian Parenting Leadership Style on Academic Performance of Students in Selected Secondary Schools in Mandera North Sub County in Mandera County, Kenya

Abstract

In the global context, education is regarded as a tool for success since learning creates a lasting impact on one's life. In Kenya, education is regarded as a foundation stone to success as society seeks to minimize poverty. Parental involvement is undeniably a key factor in the educational learning process. The main aim of the study was to assess the effect of authoritative parenting leadership styles on the academic performance of students in selected secondary schools in Mandera North Sub County in Mandera ‘County. The study was conducted in selected public secondary schools in Mandera North Sub County, which has a population of 2239 students. A total of 328 respondents were computed using Krejcie & Morgan (1970). The study employed a descriptive research design. Quantitative data were collected from students, parents, and teachers using questionnaires, and interviews were conducted among school principals to collect qualitative data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the quantitative data, while content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative information gathered using open-ended questions, where findings were reported in a narrative form under each theme. Independent sample tests were conducted to find the association between the variables. The study concluded that authoritarian parenting Leadership styles had a positive association with academic performance with p values <0.05, which was also replicated by higher GPA scores for students whose parents adopted authoritarian parenting Leadership Style. The study recommends that authoritarian parents need to be educated on the significance of actively participating in school-related activities. Educational initiatives should be developed for both parents and teachers to emphasize the importance of positive parental involvement. The findings of this study provide appropriate recommendations for policy formulation and an avenue from which other studies may be referenced.