Abstract

This study investigated the influence of parenting styles authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. Despite global evidence linking parenting styles to educational outcomes, limited localized research exists in the Nigerian context, where cultural, socio-economic, and educational factors interplay uniquely. Employing a descriptive survey design, data were collected from a stratified random sample of 385 students across public secondary schools in Gwagwalada and Kwali Area Councils using the Parenting Styles Questionnaire (PSQ) and Academic Achievement Measurement Questionnaire (AAMQ), which included WAEC-modeled tests in Mathematics and English Language. Instruments were validated by experts (scores: 0.72 and 0.77) and reliability (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.70). Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) addressed research questions, while chi-square tests examined hypotheses at α = 0.05. Findings revealed no significant influence of any parenting style on academic achievement (p > 0.05 for all), with grand means indicating moderate perceived influences (authoritative: 2.94; authoritarian: 2.94; permissive: 2.66). The study, grounded in Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory, concludes that these styles exert negligible direct effects in this context, possibly due to external factors like school environment and peer influence. Recommendations include enhancing parent-teacher communication, fostering resilience-building programs, and prioritizing relational parenting. Suggestions for future research advocate longitudinal designs and cross-regional comparisons to deepen insights