Parental Pressure and Academic Performance of Students of College of Arts and Sciences of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines

Parental Pressure and Academic Performance of Students of College of Arts and Sciences of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines

Hiechelle Mae P. Collado, Sergio D. Mahinay, Jr., Almira C. Amaca, Erica C. Cabaňa, Christine C. Calibayan, Novie Joy G. Canoy, and Maricel J. Meguiso

College of Arts and Sciences, Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7011054

Received: 25 October 2023; Revised: 11 November 2023; Accepted: 16 November 2023; Published: 07 December 2023

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to determine the level of parental pressure of college students and its relationship to their academic performance. It made use of the descriptive correlational research design to describe the characteristics of the respondents in terms of sex, age, year level, and person or persons who raise and take care of their family; the parental pressure they experienced; the academic performance they accomplished; and the strength and direction of relationship between parental pressure and academic performance. This study was conducted in Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines during the second semester of academic year 2022-2023. It included as respondents thirty-two purposively selected honor students at the College of Arts and Sciences. They were 21 to 28 years old, majority of whom were females, and mostly graduating students. Either their father, mother, brother or sister or both raise and take care of their family. Findings revealed that the respondents had experienced high level of parental pressure with respect to expectations, rewards and penalty, support and encouragement, and setting rules and standards; while they experienced moderate level of parental pressure with respect to monitoring, and comparison. Moreover, they strongly agreed that the acts or practices of their parents of explaining to them the importance of sacrifices to earn a career, of reminding them of their studies as preparation for their future work, and of expressing joy when they perform well in their studies had put pressure in them to do well in their study. A few of the respondents had accomplished excellent academic performance although most of them had accomplished good academic performance. There is a weak and negative relationship between parental pressure and academic performance, implying either that too much parental pressure could cause negative effect on the academic performance of their children, or that the very low academic performance of children could prompt parents to put more parental pressure over them. Nonetheless, the strength and direction of relationship between these variables was not significant, implying that the observed relationship occurred merely by chance, and not true to the population of interest – the college students.

Keyword: Parental pressure, academic performance, social comparison

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Parenting is the most important public health issue facing the society and the world (Virasiri, 2011). Its attributes include process, activity, and interaction on rearing and educating children which are undertaken by parent or parental figure. Under the Family Code of the Philippines, the parents shall have the responsibility to keep their children in their company, to support, educate and instruct them by right precept and good example, and to provide for their upbringing in keeping with their means.

One of the critical aspects of parenting practices is parental pressure.  Parental pressure is the emotional stress parents tend to put on their children, and is often related to academic success, cultural and social standards, and other factors (Bay Atlantic University, 2022). Parents encourage their children to study hard because they want them to stand out from the crowd.

The impact of parental pressure on academic achievement takes on greater significance in a teeming society (Srivastava, 2017). Contrary to the good intention of parental pressure, however, this practice may instead result in low academic performance. This unlikely effect comes as a result of children starting to question their abilities and trying to get better but never meeting the expectations of their parents (Bay Atlantic University, 2022).

Some studies would indicate that parental pressure can present positive effect on children: they learn to work hard, achieve higher grades, lead disciplined life, generate higher self-esteem, and ought to follow instructions (Panchal, 2023); while others bared that parental pressure can pose negative effects on them: their mental illness, eating disorder, low academic performance, cheating in school, and problems with sleep (Bay Atlantic University, 2022). The disagreements on the present literatures on the impacts of parental pressure prompted the researches to conduct this study.

Research Questions

1. What is the personal profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, year, and person or persons who take of their family?
2. What is the level of parental pressure experienced by the respondents?
3. What is the academic performance of the respondents?
4. Is there a significant relationship between parental pressure and academic performance?

Scope and Delimitation

This study focused on the level of parental pressure and its relationship to the academic performance of students. It was conducted at Notre Dame of Midsayap College during the second semester of academic year 2022-2023. The respondents consisted of 32 third-year and fourth-year honor students from the College of Arts and Sciences department. The level of parental pressure was determined and measured in terms of pressure by expectations, pressure by rewards / penalty, pressure by support / encouragement, pressure by setting rules / standards, pressure by monitoring, and pressure by comparison. Parental pressure may come from either or both parents of the respondents, or from any other persons who raise and take care of their family. The academic performance was expressed in General Point Average obtained by the respondents during the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Parental Pressure: Nature and Purpose  

Parental pressure is the emotional stress parents tend to put on their children and is often related to academic success, cultural and social standards, and other factors and it is frequently connected to things like academic achievement, cultural and societal expectations, and other things (Bay Atlantic University, 2022). It is the drive that parents put on their children to achieve a goal.  (Moneva & Moncada, 2020). The main driver of parental pressure is the concern for their children’s welfare and for their employment. Parents pressure their children for the latter to attain high grades in academics for different reasons, i.e., social respect, scholarship, parents’ future and parents’ investment on children’s education (Sheikh and Husain (2014).

Effects of Parental Pressure

Positive Effects. Parental pressure can be a motivating element for children to perform well in school (Srivastava 2017). The pressure on children to excel academically is helpful in motivating them to study hard. It produces children who are either too academically oriented or who opt out of the race for academic success (Sivrikaya, 2019). Parental encouragement can serve as a child’s stepping stone to success, the parent being an important figure in child’s life and will be the one they look-up to for lessons in self-assurance, perseverance, and greatness Sinha (2016). Even authoritative parenting has a positive impact on life by promoting increased happiness, self-regulation, and success of a child. Karen (2022).

Negative Effects. Parental pressure to excel can increase young children’s risk of stress and can have a negative impact on their well-being (Lee, 2020), although its negative impact on students’ academic achievement is minimal (Bay Atlantic University 2022). Parents who want the best for their kids may unintentionally pressure them in the wrong places, in the wrong way, and at the wrong times. It can have serious consequences on children, such as an increase in anxiety and depression, and a reduction in motivation (Newman, 2021). Sadly, though, many parents are either unaware of or deny that they are their children’s primary source of external pressure, rather than their peers (Caron Treatment Center, 2019).

Types of Parental Pressure According to Direction

Direct Parental Pressure is one whereby the intention to put emotional stress to the child is explicit and straightforward. It often involves yelling, force, or complaining. For example, if a child brings home a poor report card, some parents may start screaming at them or violently punishing them (Advocate Aurora Health as cited by Idaho Youth Ranch, 2023). Some parents verbally express their children’s wishes for higher grades while some physically punish children (Santiago, 2019).

Indirect Parental Pressure is one whereby the intention to put emotional stress to the child is implicit and not obvious. It may involve guilt-tripping the child or reminding them of rigid expectations. Guilt-tripping is a way of shaming or blaming a child in order to convince them to do something or to comply with a request (Gordon, 2021). Some parents use guilt to guide their children and that can lead to some kinds of emotional stresses (Hou, 2019). Meanwhile, guilt trip tactic gave the child a sense of hope that, maybe they can be the first one to graduate since their parents did not have that same chance (Carillo, 2016).

Types of Parental Pressure According to Form

Parental Pressure by Comparison. Parents frequently compare their children to one another, which may have an impact on how parents treat their children as well as on how they behave (Jensen et al., 2018). Many parents compare their children to their siblings or friends in an effort to help them grow up better. They compare their children to either their siblings or other children and judge them for being different (Blah, 2019). Parents do this in an effort to inspire their children to excel by comparing them to other people. Parents typically do this to establish a sense of competition in their kids and to make them feel pressured to strive for perfection. Asian parents frequently compare their children to others in social circumstances in order to “make face” or to compliment the other person. The child being compared to, however, may feel inferior as a result of the comparison because it can hurt their self-esteem (Samraliaqat, 2021).

Parental Pressure by Setting Rules and Standards. Rules are statements that comes from the authority (parents) and that are meant to guide the behavior and action of all those (children) in a particular environment (family); while standards provide a clear understanding of what is required from people (children) in an environment (household) to maintain quality of performance (Admin, 2013). Experts on children believed that developing rules on routines and structure plays a crucial role in developing motivation in children. Having established routines in family life eliminates majority of conflicts, for example, established routine that children do their homework every weeknight. On the contrary, a family without such rules becomes a daily battle. Having a study area, for example, that is free of distractions will help children develop a homework routine (Wong, 2023).

Parental Pressure by Expectations. Parental expectations are the desires about their children academic performance and profession ambitions. “Parental academic expectations” is defined as the beliefs and demands of parents about the future academic achievement (Davis-Kean as cited in Noursi & Daheri, 2021). Parental expectations have been found to play a critical role in children’s academic success. Students whose parents hold high expectations get higher grades than those whose parents hold comparatively near to the ground expectations (Haider, 2022). Extensive research has demonstrated the positive relationship between parental expectations and adolescents’ academic performance (Ma et al., 2018). Earlier research has suggested that parents’ aspirations for their children’s academic attainment can have a positive influence on children’s actual academic performance (Murayama et al., 2016). However, this tendency has caused more kids to perform below average academically when excellent marks were expected of them.

Parental Pressure by Rewards and Penalty. Parents give rewards in the form of love as a reward for the child’s academic success Thus, if parents send frequent messages of love, happiness, and excitement when their children are successful and frequent messages of withdrawal of love or anger, frustration, and disappointment when their children fail to live up to their parents’ expectations, the kids will make that connection (Taylor as cited by Lahey, 2018). Reward and punishment have always played a significant role in teacher preparation and classroom instruction, though, rewards that are not necessary may reduce students’ intrinsic motivation to learn (Wu & Chen, 2023). They have traditionally been important components of teacher training and classroom education. Giving students much rewards will therefore result in psychological reliance, but those that are not required will lower pupils’ intrinsic motivation to learn.

Parental Pressure by Monitoring. Parental monitoring is defined as parental awareness, watchfulness, and supervision of adolescent activities in a variety of domains (such as friends, school, and behavior at home), as well as communication to the adolescent that the parent is concerned about and aware of those activities (Dishion & McMahon as cited in Hutchinson & Newton, 2020). It has been conceptualized as tracking and surveillance but operationalized as knowledge of daily activities. Parental monitoring has been shown to be effective in preventing teenage substance use, including alcohol use, but indirectly affected academic performance over time through the mediation of motivation and self-efficacy, and that the parents’ influence was highest on motivation, while the teachers’ influence was highest on self-efficacy (Affuso et al., 2023).

Parental Pressure by Support and Encouragement. Parental support has been defined as “parental behaviors toward the child, such as praising, encouraging and giving physical affection, which indicate to the child that he or she is accepted and loved” (Mills et al., 2021). Parental encouragement is a process which is undertaken by the parents to direct the child’s behavior towards higher academic progress (Fayaz, 2023). It was found out in a survey that majority of higher secondary school students have a moderate level of parental encouragements to their academic achievements (Ponnusamy et al., 2021). Literature on education showed that one of the most important determinants of a student’s academic achievement is parental support. A study also showed that there is significant relationship between parental encouragement and academic achievement of higher secondary school students (Lawrence & Barathi, 2016).

Academic Performance

Nature and Purpose. Academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher, or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals (Tadese et al., 2022). Students’ performance in the classroom, graduation rates, and test scores are frequently used by educators to gauge student accomplishment.

Measurement and Indicator. A student’s academic performance is measured by their grade point average or GPA (Tadese et al., 2022). Ther average GPA is a number that shows what a student typically scored in their classes throughout the semester, term, and year. More specifically, it is a number that indicates how high s student scored in their courses on the average. Using a scale from 1.0 to 4.0, GPA tracks one’s progress during their studies. This number is used to assess whether a student meets the standards and expectations set by the degree program or university (Potter, 2022).

Theoretical Framework

This study is framed by the Theory of Educational Productivity by Walberg which asserts that the immediate psychological environments of individual students influence their educational outcomes (as cited in Rugutt and Chemosit, 2005). The family forms the immediate environment of the individual students. Moreover, the family environment is the sum of physical and psychological conditions, which carries the development of individual personality and behavior, among which parent-child interaction are its important components, affecting children’s academic achievement (Zhao and Zhao, 2022). Parental pressure is a psychological condition parents impose upon their children and is often related to academic performance (Bay Atlantic University, 2022).

Conceptual framework

This study assumed that the respondents had experienced varied forms and levels of parental pressure, and had obtained varied degrees of academic performances. Moreover, this study postulated that parental pressure is correlated to academic performances. These variations and relationship are shown in Figure 1.

Figure Schematic Diagram of Conceptual Framework

Covariables

As shown in Figure 1, there are two main variables being considered: parental pressure and academic performance. The first box contains the specific variables to describe and measure parental pressure: comparison, setting rules and standards, expectations, rewards and penalty, monitoring, and supports and encouragement. The second box contains the specific variable to describe and measure academic performance: grade point average. The two-way arrow that connects the two boxes indicates that the two variables are correlated with each other.

Hypothesis

This proposition was drawn for testing:

H_o1: There is no significant relationship between parental pressure and academic performance of the respondents.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

 The descriptive correlational research design was used in this study. It explained and described the personal profile of the respondents, and correlate the co-variables which are the parental pressure they experienced and the academic performance they attained. The findings from correlational quantitative research can be used to measure a relationship between co-variables without the researcher controlling either of them (Bhandari, 2023).

Locale and Respondents of the Study

 The research was conducted at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, a private and religious education institution which is operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). It is situated at Poblacion 5, Midsayap Cotabato. This study was carried out during the second semester of the academic year 2022- to 2023. This research included as respondents thirty-two honor students who were enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences of Notre Dame of Midsayap College during the conduct of the study.

Sampling Technique

This study made use of the purposive sampling technique. The selected participants are 3^rd year and 4^th-year academic awardees of the College of Arts and Sciences at Notre Dame of Midsayap College. The respondents had the characteristics, e.g., junior and senior students with academic honors, and of rightful age, that were needed in the sample and, thus, could provide the relevant information needed in this study (Nikolopoulou, 2023).

Instrumentation

This study utilized a self-constructed survey questionnaire. It was comprised of two major parts. Part I requested for the personal profile of the respondents in terms of sex, age, year level, rank or honor, overall rating or General Point Average (GPA), and person(s) who raise and/or take care of their family. Part II drew from the respondents the forms and level parental pressure they experienced as based on their perception. The responses of the respondents for Part II were expressed in terms of the 5-point Likert scale and description as follows: 1 = “Strongly Disagree;” 2 = “Disagree;” 3 = “Moderately Agree;” 4 = “Agree;” and 5 = “Strongly Agree.”

Validity and Reliability of the Instrument

To ensure that the instrument would be able to measure what this study aimed to measure, the questionnaire was initially presented to the research adviser for critiquing of the question-items, and to at least two experts in the field of parenting and learning. To ensure that the instrument would be able to consistently measure what it intended to measure, it was administered to fifteen individuals for pilot testing. The statistical tool Cronbach’s alpha was applied to determine such internal consistency. The mathematical computation yielded the reliability coefficient of α = 0.92, which was an indication that the instrument was reliable.

Data Gathering Procedure

This study made use of survey questionnaires to collect the data needed for this study. With the guidance of their adviser and with the consent of their instructor, the researchers sent a letter to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, for which they sought permission to conduct the study. After securing such approval, the researchers sent messages through messenger to the prospective respondents containing the survey link, clicking on which would take them to a secure online survey form created and prepared by the researchers through Google form. From there, they could fill in the survey questionnaire, which responses were promptly retrieved by the researchers for the purpose of coding, tabulation, analysis, and interpretation them.

Statistical Tools and Treatment of Data

The data collected in this study were treated as numerical data. They were presented, analyzed, and interpreted by applying the following statistical tools: frequency and percentage distribution for problem number one; mean and standard deviation for problem numbers two and three; and Person product-moment (Pearson-r) correlation and t-Test for problem number four. Moreover, the data set for problem number two were transformed into meaningful output by using the following scales, ranges, descriptions, and interpretation:

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Profile of the Respondents

Table 1 Profile of Respondents

Table 1 shows that more females (f=24 or 75%) participated in the research than males (f=8 or 25%). This result coincides with the study of Cebu (2023) that most of the college students were females. The greatest number (f=16 or 50%) of the respondents are 21 to 22 years old, and a small number (f=2 or 6.2%) of them are 27 to 28 years old. This implies that the respondents are young adults during which there are key developmental tasks that allow them to participate in self-exploration and identity formation. (Higley, 2019). Most (f=28 or 87.5%) of the respondents are 4^th year college; and the small number (f=4 or 12.5%) of them are 3^rd year college. This implies that, by and large, the respondents were senior and graduating students, and that they had achieved more advance developmental and proficiency levels than the other classes of students (Liu et al, 2021).

Persons Who Raise or Take Care of the Family of Respondents

The persons who raise and/or take care of the family of the respondents are any, some or all of the following: father, mother, brother, sister and other people. This finding supports the contention of Virasiri (2011) that the attributes of parenting as a process, activity, and interaction on rearing and educating the children are undertaken not only by the typical parents but by other people with parental figure. Thus, father’s and mother’s role in children’s upbringings is an up-to-date issue, although, both parents responsibly fulfil their roles (Gezova, 2015).

Parental Pressures Experienced by the Respondents

Table 2 Parental Pressure by Comparison

Table 2 shows that the respondents had experience moderate level (OM=3.04) of parental pressure by comparison. As to how much they agree that this practice put pressure on them to study well, the respondents signified their highest ratings on the items “My parent(s) compare my hardships to their own hardships in life” (M=3.59) and “My parent(s) compare me to successful people” (M=3.13); while they signified their lower rating on the item “My parent(s) compare me to students who excel in school” (M=2.66).

This finding confirms the observation of Jensen et al. (2018) that comparing their children to others may have an impact on how parents treat their children as well as on how they behave. Many parents compare their children to their friends in an effort to help them grow up better. They compare their children to other children and judge them for being different (Blah, 2019). Parents typically do this to establish a sense of competition in their kids and to make them feel pressured to strive for perfection.

Table 3 Parental Pressure by Setting Rules/Standards

Table 3 shows that the respondents had experienced high level (OM= 3.44) of parental pressure by setting rules/standards. As to how much they agree that this practice put pressure on them to study well, the respondents signified their highest ratings on the items ” My parent(s) remind me of the need to succeed in my studies” (M=4.09);” ”My parent(s) have established routine for doing household chores‖”(M=3.72);” while they signified their lower rating on the item ”My parent(s) set standards for my academic performance” (M=3.03).

This finding substantiates the beliefs of experts on children that developing rules on routines and structure plays a crucial role in developing motivation in children, for example, established routine that children do their homework every weeknight. Moreover, having a study area that is free of distractions will likely help children develop a homework routine (Wong, 2023).

Table 4 Parental Pressure by Expectation

Table 4 shows that the respondents had experienced high level (OM=4.08) of parental pressure by expectation. As to how much they agree that this practice put pressure on them to study well, the respondents signified their highest rating on the item “My parent(s) explain to me the importance of sacrifices to earn a career‖ (M= 4.41); while signified their lower rating on the item “My parent(s) have high anticipation in my academic performances (M=3.84).

This finding is consistent with the earlier research which suggested that parents’ aspirations for their children’s academic attainment can have a positive influence on children’s actual academic performance (Murayama et al., 2016). Parental expectations have been found to play a critical role in children’s academic success. Students whose parents hold high expectations get higher grades than those whose parents do not hold such expectations (Haider, 2022).

Table 5 Parental Pressure by Rewards/Penalty

Table 5 shows that the respondents had experienced high level (OM=4.08) of parental pressure by rewards/penalties. As to how much they agree that this practice put pressure on them to study well, the respondents signified their highest ratings on the items “My parent(s) express joy when I perform well in my studies (M= 4.34);” and “My parent(s) tell me that they are proud of me when I excel in my studies, my parent(s) praise me for my effort to work hard in my studies (M=4.31);” while they signified their lower rating in the item ”My parent(s) talk to me the consequences of failing in my studies (M=3.63).”

This finding parallels with the study of Taylor (as cited by Lahey, 2018) that if parents send frequent messages of happiness and excitement when their children are successful, the latter will make that connection. Reward and punishment have always played a significant role in teacher preparation and classroom instruction, though, rewards that are not necessary will reduce students’ intrinsic motivation to learn (Wu & Chen, 2023), as for examples, talking about the consequences of failing in their subject.

Table 6 Parental Pressure by Monitoring

Table 6 shows that the respondents had experienced moderate level (OM=3.34) of parental pressure by monitoring. As to how much they agree that this practice put pressure on them to study well, the respondents signified their highest ratings on the items “My parent(s) check for my final grades (M=3.56),” “My parent(s) monitor my academic progress (M=3.56),” and “My parent(s) observe my school performance (M=3.50);” while they signified their lower rating in the item “My parent(s) ask me if I had submitted all my requirements (M=3.16).”

This finding coincides with the study of Affuso et al. (2023) that parental monitoring has been shown to indirectly affect academic performance over time through the mediation of motivation and self-efficacy, and that parental influence was highest on motivation. This implies that parental monitoring is a motivating factor for high academic performance of children.

Table 7 Parental Pressure by Support/ Encouragement by Respondents

Table 7 shows that the respondents had experienced high level (OM=3.77) of parental pressure by support/encouragement. As to how much they agree that this practice put pressure on them to study well, the respondents signified their highest ratings on the items “My parent(s) remind me of my studies as preparation for my future work‖ (M=4.41);” “My parent(s) challenge me to dream big in my life‖ (M=4.22);” while they signified their lowest rating on the item “My parent(s) offer to help me in doing my homework / projects‖ (M=3.25).”

This finding strengthens the survey of Ponnusamy et al. (2021) which found out that majority of higher secondary school students have a moderate level of parental encouragements to their academic achievements. One of the most important determinants of a student’s academic achievement is parental support. Moreover, a study showed that there is significant relationship between parental encouragement and academic achievement of higher secondary school students (Lawrence & Barathi, 2016).

Table 8 Overall Clustered Results on Parental Pressure     

Table 8 shows the overall results on parental pressures experienced by the respondents according to their (parental pressure) form. Data revealed that expectations from parents, and rewards/penalty given and imposed by them had caused high level of parental pressure among the respondents, while comparison to others had caused moderate level of parental pressure among the respondents.

Table 9 Overall Itemized Results on Parental Pressure

Table 9 shows the overall itemizes results on parental pressure experienced by the respondents which are ranked in descending order. Data reveal that the respondents had experienced the highest level of parental pressure when their parents explain to them the importance of sacrifices to earn a career, and when their parents remind them of their studies as preparation for their future work.

Academic Performance of Respondents

The academic performance of the respondents in terms of GPA and rank are contained in Table 10.

Table 10 Academic Performance of Respondents

Table 10 shows that, in relation to the academic performance of the other respondents, the greater number (f=11 or 34.38%) of them are in the lowest bracket, while the lesser number (f=4 or 12.50%) of them are in the highest bracket.

Relationship Between Parental Pressure and Academic Performance

Table 11 Relationship between Parental Pressure and Academic Performance

**Significance Level (alpha) ≤ 0.01, 2-tailed.

Entries in Table 11 reveal that the computed correlation coefficient (r-value) for the variable Parental Pressure in relation to the variable Academic Performance is -0.381. This value indicates that there is a weak inverse (negative) relationship between the said variables. This implies that those respondents who experienced higher level of parental pressure had achieved slightly lower academic performance; while those who experienced lower level of parental pressure had achieved slightly higher academic performance.  However, the computed p-value for the relationship of the said variable is 0.032, two-tailed, which is higher than the significance level (alpha) of 0.01. This value indicates that the relationship is not significant. This implies that the magnitude (strength) and nature (direction) of the relationship between the said variables occurs merely by chance among the respondents and cannot be true to the population of interest in this study – the college students. The null hypothesis, therefore, is sustained. That is to say – there is no significant relationship between Parental Pressure and Academic Performance. This relationship is visualized in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Scatter Plot and Correlation Curve for Parental Pressure and Academic Performance when the Correlation Coefficient (r-value) is -0.381

Figure 2 shows that correlation curve for variables parental pressure in relation to the variable academic performance slightly slopes downward from left to right. This means that as the value in the x-axis (parental pressure) increases, the value in the y-axis (academic performance) slightly decreases; and as the value in the x-axis decreases, the value in the y-axis slightly increases, and vice versa.

CONCLUSION

The respondents had variably experienced high level of parental pressure caused by expectations, rewards and penalty, support and encouragement, setting rules and standards; and moderate level of parental pressure caused by monitoring and comparison. This finding substantiates the Theory of Educational Productivity by Walberg which asserts that the immediate psychological environments of individual students influence their educational outcomes (as cited in Rugutt and Chemosit, 2005). The family forms the immediate environment of the individual students. The family environment is the sum of physical and psychological conditions, which carries the development of individual personality and behavior, among which parent-child interaction are its important components, affecting children’s academic achievement (Wilder, 2014; Krauss et al., as cited by Zhao and Zhao, 2022). Parental pressure is an emotional condition parents impose upon their children and is often related to academic performance (Moore, 2022). According to Jia et al. (2022), the parent is an essential social agent who can influence directly or indirectly and positively or negatively children’s beliefs, values, and behavior including academic performance. This study found out that parental pressure had directly and indirectly but somewhat negative way affected the academic performance of the students, thus, adding to the opposite side of literature that too much parental pressure could pose negative impact on the academic performance of students.

LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The main limitations of this study were that it included small and homogenous sample size and very limited locale. Another limitation of this study was that parental pressures experienced by the respondents were merely based on their perceptions and not on their actual behavior and actuations, and regardless of the intentions of their parents or other persons with parental figure.

For Possible Courses of Action. Parents must be judicious about putting pressure on their children considering that the level of parental pressure may favorably or adversely affect their academic performance depending on the form and level of parental pressure. Students must always follow their parental advice and learn to talk with them about their academic performance at school as well as their burdens and problems.

For Possible Policy Formulation. The guidance office may formulate programs or undertake seminars on how the students deal and manage parental pressure and cope with the challenges that may arise from parenting, though these parenting processes are assumed to be for their own good and benefit.

For Future Research Direction. Future researchers can broaden the scope of this study to a much larger scale so that they will be able to fully understand how parental pressure affect students’ academic performance. An experimental research design may also be conducted to measure the impact of parental pressure to academic performance of students, with the researcher controlling, though limited, either of them.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Hiechelle Mae P. Collado is the program head of the Bachelor of Human Services of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines.

Sergio D. Mahinay, Jr. is a faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines.

Almira C. Amaca is a student-researcher and enrolled in the program Bachelor of Human Service at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Philippines.

Erica C. Cabaňa is a student-researcher and enrolled in the program Bachelor of Human Service at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Philippines.

Christine C. Calibayan is a student-researcher and enrolled in the program Bachelor of Human Service at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Philippines.

Novie Joy G. Canoy is a student-researcher and enrolled in the program Bachelor of Human Service at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Philippines.

Maricel J. Meguiso is a student-researcher and enrolled in the program Bachelor of Human Service at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, Philippines.