Influence of Permissive Parenting on Delinquent Behaviour among Children from Selected Public Primary Schools in Eldoret Town, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue VIII, August 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Influence of Permissive Parenting on Delinquent Behaviour among Children from Selected Public Primary Schools in Eldoret Town, Kenya

Margaret Makale Chepgimis¹, Florence K’Okul²

^{1, 2}Department of Psychology, Mount Kenya University, Kenya

Abstract: Parents play significant role as primary agents of socialization to their children whom they are expected to teach and control unacceptable behavior, to respect the rights of others as well as delay gratification. Parents to some extend indirectly influence their children’s antisocial, aggressive and violent behavior. The purpose of the study therefore was to establish how permissive parenting styles influence delinquent behaviour of children from selected public primary schools in Eldoret town. The research adopted descriptive survey design. The target population of the study was 8403 participants with an accessible population of 2415 pupils from class seven and eight out of which a sample size of 242 pupils was selected. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively with the assistance of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Data was presented inform of frequency tables, mean tables and figures. The study found that in permissive parenting style: sometimes children forget to do their homework; children decided not to go to school without permission while parents remain silent due to low control.

Key Words: Influence, permissive parenting, delinquent behaviour

I. INTRODUCTION

Parenting involves providing physical care, support, love and guidance for healthy development of children. This includes creating a nurturing environment of attention, encouragement and love. From the time children are born, they learn and acquire traits and behaviours that they exhibit throughout their life time. Parents therefore are expected to play this important role in their children emotionally, socially and cognitively [1].

Read More