Effect of Parenting Styles on Career Decision-Making among Higher Secondary Students: The Moderating Role of Academic Motivation

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of parenting styles on career decision-making among higher secondary school students, with academic motivation as a moderating variable. Grounded in Baumrind's (1991) parenting typology and Deci and Ryan's (2000) Self-Determination Theory, the study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. A sample of 300 male students enrolled in Grade 12 (HSSC-II) at Islamabad Model College for Boys (ICB), G-6/3, Islamabad, was selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using three validated instruments: the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (CDSES-SF), and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages), Pearson product-moment correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression with moderation testing. Results revealed that authoritative parenting was the most prevalent style (M = 3.87, SD = 0.71) and demonstrated the strongest positive association with career decision-making self-efficacy (r = .53, p < .001). Authoritarian parenting exhibited significant negative correlations with career decision-making (r = -.46, p < .001), while permissive parenting showed a moderate negative relationship (r = -.31, p < .001). Academic motivation significantly moderated the relationship between authoritative parenting and career decision-making (β = .21, p < .001), such that students with higher intrinsic academic motivation demonstrated enhanced career decision-making competence even when parental support was moderate. The overall regression model explained 55% of the variance in career decision-making (R² = .55, F(6, 293) = 60.12, p < .001). These findings underscore the critical importance of parenting practices and motivational orientations in shaping career-related cognitions during the pivotal transition from higher secondary education to professional pathways. Implications for educational counselors, parents, and policymakers within the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) framework are discussed.