ABSTRACT
This study investigated the influence of parent – child communication patterns on self-esteem and academic achievement of the in-school adolescents in Enugu Education zone. Three research questions and two null hypothesis (tested at p≤0.5) guided the study. The study is an ex-post facto or casual comparative researcher design. The sample for this study was made up of four hundred and eighty senior secondary class II (SSII) students in Enugu Education Zone of Enugu State. One intact class was randomly drawn from each of the ten schools that were randomly selected for the study. Three instruments, namely:- Perceived Parent – Child Communication Patterns Scale (PPCCPS), Students Self-esteem Scale (SSES),were used to elicit the parent – child communication patterns and the state of the in-school adolescents’ self-esteem. Information on the academic achievement of the students were obtained from the students’ academic results. The items in the questionnaires were validated by experts in the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. On the test of internal consistency, the parent – child communication patterns yielded an alpha of 0.847 for conversation (concept) orientation pattern and 0.833 for conformity (Socio) orientation pattern respectively. The students’ self-esteem scale on the other hand yielded an alpha of 0.874 which was established through cronbach alpha procedure. Mean, standard deviation and t-test of Equivalent values were used to analyze the data generated. All the null hypotheses were tested at p ≤ 0.5 level of significance. The major findings of the study includes, that;
Ø Conformity (socio) parent – child communication pattern is dominant in Enugu State.
Ø Parent – child communication patterns have significant influence on the self-esteem of the school adolescents.
Ø Influence of the parent – child communication patterns on the academic achievement of the adolescent students is significant. Based on the findings, discussions, conclusions, implications and recommendations of the study, suggestions for further studies were made.