THE CONTROL CONUNDRUM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEVELS OF SOCIAL SKILLS AND PARENTING STYLES ON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ST. MARY'S COLLEGE OF BALIUAG, INC.

Abstract

This mixed-method study investigates the relationship between parenting styles—Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive, and Neglectful—and the social skills of Senior High School students at St. Mary’s College of Baliuag, Inc. Additionally, the study aims to gain deeper insights into how parental discipline approaches influence students’ abilities to interact with peers and navigate social situations. Using an embedded correlational design, the study employed Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient to examine the relationship between parenting styles and students' social skills. Data were collected through written surveys that assessed students' perceptions of their parents' parenting approaches and their own social competencies. The findings revealed a weak negative correlation of -0.165 between parenting styles and social skills, suggesting that as parenting becomes more controlling (e.g., Authoritarian), students tend to exhibit lower levels of social skills. A p-value of 0.027 (p < 0.05) indicated a statistically significant relationship, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. However, the weak correlation also suggests that factors beyond parenting style contribute to students' social development. These results suggest that overly controlling parenting may hinder the development of social skills, underscoring the importance of a balanced parenting approach. The study encourages further research to explore additional factors influencing social skills and to support parents and educators in fostering positive social development among students.