1. Introduction

The behavior and decision-making of adolescents are significantly influenced by parents and the family environment [1]. Adolescents demonstrate discernible attributes throughout different developmental stages, wherein middle school students undergo a critical period of heightened physical and cognitive advancement. According to Kimmel and Weiner, adolescence is characterized by attaining independence and cultivating a sense of autonomy from parental figures [2]. Their independence and autonomy is apparent in all facets of their life and educational pursuits. Therefore, parental education during this period is of considerable significance.

Maccoby and Martin present a framework for classifying parenting styles based on responsiveness/warmth and proactive behavioral control [3]. These styles encompass authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful.

Numerous studies have examined the impact of various parenting styles on academic performance. Nevertheless, there exists a dearth of academic studies regarding the potential differences in the influence of this variable on the academic achievement of middle school students across different cultural contexts. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate and contrast the research findings regarding the correlation between parenting styles, academic motivation, and academic performance among middle school students in different countries. This research study utilizes a variety of research methodologies, such as literature review and data extraction, to conduct a comparative analysis of parental styles among middle school students from various cultural backgrounds, including China, the United States, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Ethiopia. This study aims to examine the influence of various parenting styles on the academic motivation and achievement of students from different cultural backgrounds. Efforts are undertaken to explore the implications of fostering a harmonious relationship between school education and family education to gain insights into promoting the complete growth of students, including their physical and mental well-being.

2. Main Body

2.1. Related Concepts

2.1.1. Parenting Style

Baumrind proposed a typology encompassing three parenting styles, aimed at delineating variations in typical parental behaviours: the authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles. In subsequent years during the 1980s, Maccoby and Martin endeavoured to establish a connection between Baumrind’s typology and the various dimensions of parenting [3]. The researchers demonstrated four distinct parenting styles by considering the interaction between two sizes: demandingness and responsiveness. These styles are authoritative, characterized by high demandingness and responsiveness; authoritarian, characterized by high demandingness and low responsiveness; indulgent, characterized by low demandingness and high responsiveness; and neglectful, characterized by low demandingness and responsiveness.

2.1.2. Academic Motivation

Academic motivation refers to the motivational drive demonstrated by an individual throughout the learning process [4]. Achievement motivation is characterized by the presence of achievement goals, which serve as a driving force for students to dedicate significant effort and strive diligently towards attaining those goals. To clarify, achievement motivation is related to the inclination of students to engage in goal-oriented learning, exhibit perseverance in completing tasks, acquire new skills, and employ cognitive strategies to solve problems. Furthermore, it promotes a focus on personal growth and advancement through self-referential benchmarks.

2.2. Current Studies

2.2.1. China

The data utilized in this study was obtained from the 2015 China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), a nationally representative survey conducted in middle schools across 28 counties and city districts. The survey encompassed 112 schools and 438 classes of 8th-grade students nationwide. The ultimate sample size consisted of 9920 participants. The CEPS encompasses a range of data collection instruments: student questionnaires, parent questionnaires, teacher questionnaires, and school questionnaires. The research employed principal component analysis and the variance technique’s maximum rotation, extracting five common factors. Following this, cluster analysis was conducted using all samples’ five common factor scores to ascertain parenting styles.

The initial findings indicate that the influence of parenting style on children’s academic performance is more pronounced than the impact of their parents’ external background. Additionally, it is observed that Chinese parents predominantly exhibit authoritarian and neglectful parenting styles [5]. Furthermore, it has been observed that the authoritative parenting style exhibits the most significant positive impact on the academic performance of children, whereas the neglectful parenting style is associated with the most detrimental influence on children’s academic performance. Furthermore, it has been observed that the impact of the authoritarian parenting style on the academic achievement of migrant children surpasses that of the authoritative parenting style. This implies that parents from specific cultural backgrounds or circumstances may adopt the authoritarian parenting style [5].

2.2.2. The United States

Dornbusch, Steinberg, and their colleagues undertook a series of investigations to examine the impact of various parenting styles on the academic performance of adolescents. The studies utilized data from extensive surveys conducted on a sample size exceeding 6000 adolescents residing in Wisconsin and California. One of the initial investigations in this series revealed that parents who exhibited elevated levels of authoritative parenting, characterized by warmth, autonomy, and high maturity demands, were associated with children who demonstrated higher levels of achievement [6].

In another investigation encompassing a sample size of 7,836 adolescents residing in the San Francisco Bay area, it was observed that Asian American parents exhibited a higher degree of authoritarian parenting tendencies compared to their European American counterparts [7]. Furthermore, it was determined that European and Asian American parents who adopted an authoritative parenting style experienced a negative correlation with their children’s academic performance, as evidenced by lower academic grades [7]. Authoritarian parents employ a parenting style characterized by imposing rigid standards upon their children, expecting unwavering obedience, respect for authority figures, and maintaining order within the family unit. On the other hand, authoritative parents expect that their children will exhibit mature conduct. They establish unambiguous benchmarks and diligently enforce rules and standards. They resort to commands and sanctions solely when deemed essential while actively fostering independence, individuality, and open lines of communication. The findings indicate that there may be a correlation between the parenting style of Asian Americans, characterized by higher levels of authoritarianism, and potentially lower academic outcomes compared to European Americans. Paradoxically, it is observed that Asian Americans tend to exhibit superior academic performance compared to their European American counterparts.

2.2.3. Malaysia

The participants in this research consisted of 10th-grade students who were 16 years old [8]. They were selected from public secondary schools in the Klang District in Selangor, Malaysia. Out of the entire sample size of 493 participants, 218 are male and 275 female. The sample consists of 227 individuals who identify as Malay, 184 individuals who identify as Chinese, 75 individuals who identify as Indian, and 7 individuals who identify as belonging to other ethnic groups.

Regarding the perception of parenting style, it was found that out of the total respondents, 308 individuals perceived their parents as authoritative, 175 individuals perceived their parents as authoritarian, and 10 individuals perceived their parents as permissive [8]. A survey was conducted to gather data through a self-administered questionnaire.

The findings indicate that many parents in contemporary society continue to employ both authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles. The findings demonstrate that the parenting style employed by parents can significantly affect their children, specifically in relation to their academic performance. The authoritative parenting style has moderated the impact of academic self-concept on academic achievement. Parents should also foster an environment that promotes the correction of errors, the development of skills, and the guidance of children in discovering the importance of making meaningful contributions. By employing this approach, individuals can foster a child’s sense of self-assurance and cultivate a favorable self-perception, encompassing their academic aptitude.

2.2.4. Pakistan

A purposive sampling method was employed to select a sample of 140 participants, consisting of 70 students (35 low achievers and 35 high achievers) aged between 12 and 14 years, along with their respective 70 parents. The parenting style of the selected students’ parents was assessed through interviews. The data were subjected to analysis using SPSS 21. The study compared parenting styles and students’ academic achievement using ANOVA. Additionally, a t-test was employed to identify any differences among the children in relation to this matter [9].

The results of the study indicated that students whose parents exhibited a fully authoritative parenting style, a fully permissive parenting style, or a combination of authoritative and permissive parenting styles demonstrated significantly higher academic performance compared to students whose parents solely employed permissive parenting practises.

2.2.5. Ethiopia

The research sample for this study comprised 136 students from Fasilo secondary school. Stratified random sampling was employed to select participants, including 82 males and 54 females. The school’s total population consisted of 970 students, specifically from grades 9 and 10 [10]. The collection of quantitative data was primarily conducted using questionnaires administered to students. Documentary analysis was employed to gather data on students’ academic performance in the initial semester. This study’s data entry and research were conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software.

The findings of the correlation analysis indicate a statistically significant association, both positive and negative, between parenting styles. The authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles significantly impacted academic achievement. However, no significant correlation was found between neglectful parenting style and academic achievement. The authoritative parenting style has been found to impact academic achievement, as supported by empirical evidence positively. In contrast, it has been observed that both authoritarian and permissive parenting styles exert detrimental impacts on students’ academic performance. Moreover, the results of this study revealed a significant correlation between academic motivation and academic achievement.

The implications of the current study suggest that parental involvement substantially impacts students’ academic performance. Therefore, parents must possess the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively guide their children’s positive development, particularly in academic attainment.

2.3. Discussion

The studies included in this review have consistently provided evidence that parenting is critical in promoting or moderating optimal developmental outcomes in children and adolescents. The research findings indicate that authoritative parenting is significantly more conducive to adolescents’ academic success. Children’s academic performance is positively correlated with the authoritative parenting style, as opposed to the authoritarian and permissive parenting styles, when considering the qualities exhibited by their parents.

Numerous studies have revealed that parenting styles exhibit a dual nature, encompassing universal and culturally specific aspects, in their association with children’s developmental outcomes. One illustration of this phenomenon is that authoritative parenting practises are associated with favourable developmental outcomes, including enhanced social competence and improved academic performance. Conversely, authoritarian parenting styles are correlated with adverse consequences such as diminished self-esteem, mental health challenges, and behavioural difficulties. This pattern holds not only in Asian countries such as China, Pakistan, and Malaysia but also among various racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States, including European American and Chinese American individuals.

The various parenting styles utilized by parents to socialize their children, foster achievement motivation, and promote academic success are primarily shaped by the cultural context in which they reside. Therefore, to understand the impacts of parenting styles and achievement motivation comprehensively, it is imperative to view them as cultural constructs and analyze their consequences within the cultural framework.

Child-rearing practices can vary across cultures due to the influence of cultural traditions, beliefs, norms, and values. Thus, it is evident that the standards, objectives, and approaches to socialization can differ across societies since behaviours deemed favourable and promoted in one society may be perceived as unfavourable or even pathological in another.

One of the primary objectives of parenting is to facilitate the child’s socialisation process, enabling them to effectively conform to the societal and cultural norms of their environment. This socialization is crucial for the child’s development into a productive and integrated member of their respective society [11]. Parenting is subject to the influence of cultural norms and values. Parents’ child-rearing goals and perspectives on their children’s development are influenced by cultural norms and values [12].

The findings of this research contribute to our comprehension of the contextual factors pertaining to parenting styles and academic motivation across diverse nations. Due to the restricted scope of this study, which focused exclusively on specific regions within select countries, it is impossible to extrapolate the findings to students from other schools.

Thus, future research could take a few steps forward to examine the factors affecting academic performance. This could be done by expanding the study to include more countries and regions for a more significant range of cross-cultural comparisons.

Also, most of the current study is focused on short-term academic success. There may not have been enough research on how different parenting styles affect a child’s overall growth and life outcomes in the long run. Long-term longitudinal studies could be done to see how kids change from elementary to middle school and beyond. This could help show the long-term effects of different parenting styles on a student’s overall development and future job success.

Even though parenting styles are essential, the literature study may not have considered other important factors, such as parental gender and socioeconomic position, school environment, peer interactions, and individual student traits. In future studies, more qualitative research could be used. For example, in-depth qualitative methods like interviews and focus group talks could be used to learn more about what motivates and affects parenting styles in different cultures. This would help get details and situations that might have been missed in quantitative studies.

3. Conclusion

This study aimed to examine and present the correlation between parenting styles and the academic achievement of middle school students. The findings of this review indicate that, regardless of the country, there exists a statistically significant association, both positive and negative, between academic achievement and the predictor variables, except for the neglectful parenting style. This suggests that parents’ attitudes and parenting styles play a substantial role in shaping their children’s academic success.

Take the authoritarian parenting style as an example. In many Asian countries, middle school students are more motivated to do well in school, but in the U.S., it makes them less motivated to do well. This shows that the effect of parenting styles on children’s academic performance is not always the same. It depends on their social and cultural background. Consequently, research endeavours should be tailored to the specific circumstances prevailing in different regions. It is imperative to localize the research in alignment with the particular circumstances of various areas and to conduct relevant studies tailored to the cultural and social context.

In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that parental involvement substantially impacts students’ academic performance. Therefore, parents must possess adequate knowledge and skills to offer enhanced guidance for their children’s positive development, particularly in academic achievement.