Do fathers’ and mothers’ parenting styles influence students’ emotional engagement in the same way?

Abstract

Emotional engagement in the classroom is an adaptive and desirable construct as it implies that schoolwork is valued positively by the student. This form of engagement has been linked to better academic performance, psychological well-being, and long-term motivation. Understanding the factors that contribute to students’ emotional engagement is therefore crucial for fostering effective educational environments. The aim of this research is to examine how the parenting styles of fathers and mothers relate to students’ emotional engagement via satisfaction or thwarting of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. The participants consisted of 412 undergraduate students (304 females, aged 18-23 years). Four structural equation models were tested, one for each parenting style (i.e., perceived control and autonomy support) and parent. Results showed broadly similar patterns for fathers and mothers across the tested models; parental autonomy support was positively related to the satisfaction of students' psychological needs, while parental control was negatively related; the satisfaction of psychological needs related positively with intrinsic motivation, whereas the thwarting of these related negatively; and the intrinsic motivation positively predicted emotional engagement. The results align with self-determination theory, emphasizing the role of parenting styles in shaping students’ emotional engagement. These findings highlight the importance of fostering autonomy-supportive parenting practices to promote students’ motivation and emotional investment in their academic journey.