No Room for Mistakes: The Influence of Authoritarian Parenting on Students' Academic Experiences

Abstract

Abstract Authoritarian parenting can shape students’ academic discipline while also intensifying fear of mistakes, anxiety, and reduced autonomy. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how eight high-achieving second-year Bachelor of Elementary Education students at Christ the King College de Maranding, Inc. experienced authoritarian parenting in relation to their academic lives. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed online through semi-structured Zoom interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Six themes emerged: structured family rules and boundaries; corrective discipline and punitive measures; communication barriers and parental control; psychological manifestations of academic stress; the dual influence on academic performance; and retrospective reflection and agency. Findings show that strict expectations, household rules, curfews, and parental monitoring helped some students develop discipline, time management, and achievement orientation. However, these gains were accompanied by fear of failure, performance anxiety, suppressed communication, self-doubt, emotional isolation, and constrained academic or career autonomy. The study concludes that authoritarian parenting may produce academically compliant and high-performing students, but success may be achieved through pressure rather than self-directed motivation. Schools, counselors, and parents may use these findings to balance academic expectations with emotional support, autonomy, and healthier parent-child communication.