Early Adolescents' Perceptions of Patterns of Parenting, Teaching, and School Atmosphere

The purposes of this study were to examine the perceived congruence among middle school students' perceptions of parenting style, teaching style, and school atmosphere and to examine differences between resulting clusters of students on the importance of grades, academic competence, and school achievement. Participants were 230 fifth- and sixth-grade students whose perceptions of their contexts were cluster analyzed. Students who perceived congruent authoritative parenting and teaching styles accompanied by high parental involvement and a positive school atmosphere had the highest achievement outcomes. Students who perceived incongruent styles between their parents and teachers (neglecting parenting and authoritarian teaching) accompanied by low parental involvement and a negative school atmosphere had the lowest achievement outcomes. No gender or socioeconomic differences were found among the clusters. The importance of studying students' achievement within multiple contexts is discussed.