Paper Details

The present study was conducted to examine the role of parenting style in the career decision making of senior secondary school students in Mathura District. Career decision making is one of the most important developmental tasks during adolescence, as students at this stage are required to choose academic streams and future career paths that influence their educational and professional lives. Parents play a crucial role in this process because they are the primary source of guidance, emotional support and motivation. Different parenting styles, including authoritative (democratic), authoritarian, permissive and neglectful, influence students' confidence, independence and ability to make informed career choices. Supportive and democratic parenting encourages open communication, autonomy and emotional security, enabling students to explore their interests and make appropriate career decisions. In contrast, controlling, inconsistent, or neglectful parenting may create confusion, stress and uncertainty regarding career planning. The study reviewed several national and international research studies, which consistently reported that positive parenting practices significantly enhance career decision-making self-efficacy, career exploration and career confidence among adolescents. Based on these findings, the researcher formulated the objective of examining the relationship between parenting style and career decision making among senior secondary school students, including separate analyses for male and female students. The study was conducted on a sample of 250 senior secondary school students from Mathura District using the Parenting Style Scale (PSS-GMMD) developed by Madhu Gupta and Dimple Mehtani and the Career Decision Making Scale (CDMS-KS) developed by K. Singh. Data were collected through personal contact using standardized questionnaires. Correlation analysis was employed to determine the relationship between the two variables. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between parenting style and career decision making among all students (r = 0.642), indicating that students who experienced supportive and democratic parenting demonstrated better career decision-making abilities. Similar significant positive relationships were found among male students (r = 0.615) and female students (r = 0.681), with the relationship being comparatively stronger among female students. These results indicate that positive parenting contributes to greater self-confidence, independent thinking, career awareness and informed career planning irrespective of gender. Consequently, all three null hypotheses were rejected, confirming that parenting style significantly influences career decision making among senior secondary school students.

Parenting Style, Career Decision Making, Senior Secondary School Students, Mathura District