The Relationship Between Parenting Style, Gender and Academic Achievement with Optimism Among Turkish Adolescents

The present study aimed to investigate optimism levels of Turkish adolescents aged between 14 and 18 and its relation with parenting style, gender, and academic achievement. The sample consisted of 1353 students (708 male, 645 female) who volunteered to participate in the study from three high schools in Ankara, Turkey. The Life Orientation Test and Parental Attitude Scale were used as the data collection instruments. The results of ANOVA indicated that the adolescents who had higher academic achievement had higher levels of optimism than those who had lower academic achievement. Moreover, the results of this study showed that the adolescents who perceived their parents as authoritative had relatively higher levels of optimism than those who perceived their parents as authoritarian and neglectful. Results of this study also indicated that the adolescents who characterize their parents as permissive had a relatively higher level of optimism than those who characterize their parents as neglectful and authoritarian.