PARENTS’ COMMUNICATION STYLES AS QUINTESSENCE OF ADOLESCENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLORS

Abstract

Academic Performance of students is of utmost importance to parents, educators, concerned Nigerians and the  government. This, of course, is because of the huge impact education has on the national and economic development of the country. Education is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve rapid scientific, social, political, technological, cultural and economic development in the country. The influence of parents’ communication styles is particularly in focus when assessing determinants of academic success in adolescent children. It was discovered from this study that family involvement specially their mode of communication in students’ schooling is a positive and essential factor that contributes to their academic achievement. This paper therefore analyses concepts of parent’s communication styles, adolescents, academic  achievements and the counselling implications. The researchers relied on context analysis and used secondary data such as published and unpublished materials like text books, journals, newspapers and internet materials to gather and analyse the required data. Based on the findings, the researchers suggested among others that Professional counsellors should endeavour to assist the adolescents in various schools by organizing seminars that will expose the effects of their parents’ communication styles within the school settings, Counsellors should ensure they educate and counsel parents on the need to communicate appropriately to the lives of their adolescents because it is during this crisis period (adolescence) that adolescents need them most.