Journal of Student Research 2010

194

Journal of Student Research

Discussion

The results partially supported the hypothesis that students raised with Authoritative parenting would report characteristics of personal agency, including: self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of independence. Parenting style groups were not able to be compared given the small sample number in the Authoritarian and Permissive groups. Significant positive correlations were found and supported in the literature (Baldwin et al., 2007; Luyckx et al., 2007; & Milevsky et al., 2006). Each of the dependent variables will be discussed in relation to the literature followed by limitations of the study, implications for practitioners, implications for future research, as well as final comments. All of the studies focused on parenting methods and how they affected an adolescent or young adult’s identity development. The majority of respondents agreed that they considered themselves to be independent despite any financial support. This was supported in the literature that students who were raised with authoritative parenting had conscious independent decision-making skills (Luyckx et al. 2007). The survey statement regarding regularly calling parents and asking advice about life was inspired by the literature which stated that parents who had a great deal of influence on their children often cause the delay of their identity development (Luyckx et al. 2007). A majority of respondents reported that they regularly call and ask their parents for advice about their lives. These findings contradicted previous research findings. While students reported regularly calling and asking for their parents’ advice, they also reported the development of personal agency. Findings showed that even with continued parental influence, students still proceeded in their own identity development. For the survey statement about confidence in decisions that the student makes, the great majority of respondents agreed that they felt confident in making their own decisions. Luyckx et al. (2007) stated