Parental /Environmental Influences on the Traditional Childrearing Practices and Identity Development of Adolescents in Manyu

The objective of this study was to find out Parental/environmental influences on traditional child rearing practices and the identity development of adolescents in Manyu. To achieve this purpose, three specific research questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested. To answer the research questions , a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 300 participants.. The data derived were subjected to descriptive and inferential analysis using SPSS Version 26.0. The findings revealed a significant relationship between traditional childrearing practices and identity development among adolescents in Manyu. four main theories ; the ecological systems theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner , the psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson, the socio-cultural theory of Lev Vygotsky and James Marcia’s theory of identity development, were adopted and reviewed. The network of theoretical, conceptual and empirical data reviewed indicated that wherever around the world, there exist traditional childrearing practices among adolescents in different peer groups and the peer group stands as one of the important social network support systems that enable adolescents to develop their identity. The research designs adopted for this study was the descriptive survey design (with the aid of a structured questionnaire as the main research instrument and an Interview Guide). The research was carried out in all the four sub divisions of the Manyu Division of the South west region of Cameroon. The population of the study was made up of adolescents, aged 11-24 in the schools that were operational. The sample size was made up of 300 adolescents, who were purposively and incidentally selected to suit the characteristics of the study. Data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially. The results equally revealed that most adolescents perceive childrearing practices to have a positive influence on attitudes within the home environment (MRS=53.6%, n=2400). Greater parts of the adolescent population are positive to most statement that suggests good attitudes gotten within the home environments. In positively influencing identity development, childrearing practices within the home environment influence on most adolescent pushes them to be; sympathetic towards other sibling and peers (66.3%), neat and tidy (65.3%), and be good examples of their parent (64%). Therefore parents should foster good childrearing practices that existed in the past to suppress the negative ones coming from modernity. This includes constant speaking of the dialect with their children in order to build their identity, teaching them traditional values of the Manyu man such as respect, love, charity, honesty, solidarity and hard work. Above all adolescents should be guarded with care, understood and counseled often by a combination of the parents, the educational community and the society as a whole. This way, they will gain independence, imbibe these positive values and develop a positive identity and personality.