Perception of Public Secondary School Students towards Parenting Styles of their Parents: A case of Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County, Kenya

Delinquent behaviours are quite prevalent among learners in Mwingi Central Sub-County (MCS-C), however, very little is known about how parenting styles affect students’ behaviours in this locale despite the learners coming from different families. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the influence of parenting styles on delinquent behavior among students in public secondary schools in Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County (MCS-C, KC), and Kenya. This study aimed at examining the perception of high school students on their parents’ parenting styles. The target population for the study was 36 public secondary schools. A sample of 384 respondents comprising of 192 parents and 192 students were used. Questionnaires and interview schedules was used to gather data. Expert judgment and peer reviews were used to judge the validity of study tools while Cronbach’s Alpha was used to test for reliability. Quantitative data was coded and analyzed with the help of statistical package for social science version 25 to generate frequencies and percentages as well as inferential statistics which was presented in figures and table. The findings in this study on the uninvolved parenting styles on delinquent behaviors on students’ show that many parents do not respond well to the needs of their children and provide little affection, support, or love. Parents rarely set rules and do not offer guidance or expectations for behavior. Another finding of the study shows that an authoritative parenting style usually establishes guidelines to their children. In recommendations, Parents need to evaluate themselves on their roles and failures so as to restore and maintain discipline in their children. They also need to cooperate with teachers and the school administration in order to understand and protect the students out from the delinquent behaviors they may involve in.