Social Science and Human Research Bulletin

This study examined of parenting styles and their influence on children’s academic success in Uyole Ward, Mbeya, Tanzania, addressing two objectives: identifying the types of parenting styles frequently applied by parents in Uyole Ward and assessing the impact of these parenting styles on children’s academic success in the same setting. A qualitative approach guided by a phenomenological design was employed, using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) to collect data from 12 parents, 8 teachers and 10 students selected through purposive sampling. Data were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach, with findings presented through verbatim participant quotations. The findings revealed that all four parenting styles identified by Baumrind authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful were practised in Uyole Ward, with authoritative parenting being the most prevalent and the most consistently linked to positive academic outcomes, including higher motivation, stronger self-discipline and greater classroom engagement. In contrast, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting were associated with academic difficulties such as examination anxiety, poor self-regulation and progressive disengagement from schoolwork, with neglectful parenting often rooted in structural pressures such as poverty and parental workload rather than indifference. The physical home study environment also emerged as an important factor shaping whether supportive parenting translated into academic benefit. The study concludes that parenting styles significantly determine children’s academic success in Uyole and recommends that schools, community organisations and policymakers invest in practical, Kiswahili-language parenting education that builds evidence-based skills while addressing the structural barriers constraining effective parenting in this peri-urban Tanzanian community.

Academic success; Children; Parenting styles; Tanzania; Uyole Ward.

1. Akinsola, E. F. (2022). Relationship between parenting style, family structure and self-efficacy of Nigerian undergraduate students. IFE PsychologIA, 30(2), 1–14.
2. Bandura, A. (1963). Social learning and personality development. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
3. Baumrind, D. (1966). Effects of authoritative parental control on child behaviour. Child Development, 37(4), 887–907.
4. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.
5. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
6. Dearing, E., Zachrisson, H. D., Mykletun, A., & Toppelberg, C. O. (2022). Direct and indirect effects of authoritative parenting on children’s academic competence across economic and cultural contexts. Child Development, 93(4), e381–e397.
7. Fute, A., Oubibi, M., Sun, B., Zhou, Y., Bassiri, M., & Chen, G. (2024). Parenting for success: Exploring the link between parenting styles and adolescents’ academic achievement through their learning engagement. SAGE Open, 14(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241255176
8. Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 114523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
9. Kahangwa, G. K., & Kafanabo, E. K. (2023). School-based factors explaining poor academic performance of primary school pupils in Lushoto District, Tanzania. Papers in Education and Development, 41(1).
10. Li, J., Li, Z., Lei, X., Yang, J., Yu, X., & Liu, H. (2022). Longitudinal association between child psychological abuse and neglect and academic achievement in Chinese primary school children. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 870371. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870371
11. Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In E. M. Hetherington (Vol. Ed.) & P. H. Mussen (Series Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality and social development (4th ed., pp. 1–101). Wiley.
12. Mighay, G. E. (2024). Influence of parenting styles on public secondary school students’ academic performance in Iringa, Tanzania. East African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 5(3), 86–91. https://doi.org/10.46606/eajess2024v05i03.0385
13. National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA). (2024). Primary school leaving examination results and performance report. Government of Tanzania.
14. Pinquart, M. (2016). Associations of parenting styles and dimensions with academic achievement in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 28(3), 475–493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9338-y
15. Ren, Y., Chi, X., Bu, H., Huang, L., Wang, S., Zhang, Y., Zeng, D., Shan, H., & Jiao, C. (2023). Warm and harsh parenting, self-kindness and self-judgment, and well-being: An examination of developmental differences in a large sample of adolescents. Children, 10(2), 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020406
16. Troskie, J. C. (2024). The relationship between parenting styles and academic performance of matric learners in Gauteng (Master’s dissertation). University of Pretoria.
17. UWEZO Tanzania. (2023). Are our children learning? Annual learning assessment report. Twaweza East Africa.
18. Wu, Z. (2023). The influence of parenting styles on academic performance of high school students. The Educational Review, USA, 7(10), 1521–1525. https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2023.10.011