| dc.description.abstract | Forms of delinquent behaviour among secondary school students continue to increase thus hindering effective learning by students. The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between parenting styles and forms of delinquent behaviour among Secondary School Students in Butere Sub- County, Kakamega County, Kenya. The study was based on the Parenting Models theoryby Diana Baumrind, (1991). The study adopted a correlational research design which allowed the researcher to describe different events, experiences, or behaviours and look for links between them. A Questionnaire was administered to students, while an interview schedule was used to get information from Deputy Principals and the teachers in charge of guidance and counselling. Population of the study comprised of 2797 form two students, 30 Deputy Principals and 30 teachers in charge of guidance and counselling in secondary schools in Butere Sub-county. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the ten out of the thirty schools in the sub-county from where 338 participants were chosen randomly to participate in the study. A Sample of 10 deputy principals and 10 teachers in charge of guidance and counselling were also selected using purposive sampling. Questionnaire for students and interview guides for Teachers-in-charge of Guidance and Counselling and Deputy Principals were used for data collection. Pilot study was conducted in three secondary schools in Butere sub-County. Content validity of the instruments was tested by giving the exam to experts in the area of Educational Psychology. Test-re-test method was used to measure reliability of instruments, which yielded a cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.7615. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to analyse data. Quantitative data from students’ questionnaire were analysed using inferential statistics. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to establish the relationship between: independent variable (parenting styles) and the dependent variable (forms of delinquent behaviour of students). Multiple regression was also used to determine the intervariable associations between the independent variable and the dependent variable. Correlation findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between Authoritarian Parenting Styles and forms of delinquent behaviour among secondary school students as illustrated by correlation coefficient of 0.027 which is not significant at 0.05 significant level while the correlation results for Authoritative Parenting Styles was negative.This relationship has been illustrated by correlation coefficient of -0.323 which is significant at 0.05 level. Correlation findings indicate a positive relationship between permissive parenting style and forms of delinquent behaviour among secondary school students in Butere sub-county. This relationship has been illustrated by correlation coefficient of 0.442 which is significant at 0.05 level. Regression results showedthat school type has a weak reducing effect on the ability of the three parenting styles in explaining forms of delinquent behaviour as the value of R square reduced from 0.736 to 0.725. The study concluded that Authoritative Parenting Style was the best since students whose parents use Authoritative parenting style, showed low involvement in delinquent behavior as compared to students whose parents use Authoritarian and Permissive parenting styles. It recommended that parents consider adopting Authoritative parenting, spending quality time with their children in order to monitor them for any signs of forms of delinquent behaviour, and inculcating in them desirable societal values. It is hoped that the findings of the study will be useful in formulation of policies to be used in the education sector that may assist learners manifesting forms of delinquent behaviour | en_US |
