Parenting styles as predictors of formal operational thinking in adolescents

This paper presents a study on whether parenting styles as assessed by adolescents are statistically significant predictors of formal operational thinking. For the purposes of the study the following instruments were used: an adapted version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, which measures the dimensions of authoritarian, authoritative and permissive styles, and Bond's Logical Operations Test. 200 students of the Technical High School in Pirot participated in the research (54.5% boys; average age 17 years). The study confirmed the principal hypothesis that parenting styles are a statistically significant predictor of formal operational thinking. With regard to the mother's parenting style, the dimensions of Attachment (with a positive b coefficient) and Lack of Explanation (with a negative b coefficient) contribute to the prediction of formal operational thinking. As for the father's parenting style, it is the dimensions of Regulation (with a positive b coefficient) and Coercion (with a negative b coefficient) that contribute to the prediction of formal operational thinking. The principal conclusion of the study is that certain parenting styles contribute significantly to the development of formal operational thinking in adolescents. A better understanding of the role of parenting styles in the development of formal operations could contribute to the fostering of positive parenting styles, which would in turn stimulate overall cognitive development, including the development of formal operations.