Influence Of Parents’ Coaching Skills On Social Behaviour Of School Children In Kenya

The public display of poor behaviour by school children in Kenya is concerning. In 2021, 302 students were arrested following the destruction of school property, physical assault on teachers and school prefects, and arson. Commentators on this matter, and the literature, suggest that school children behaving badly is a sign of laxity by parents, who should instil good social behaviour in their children. Recommendations by various Kenya Government commissions that have investigated misbehaviour by school children do not include practical recommendations for how parents can better influence children’s social behaviour. This study proposed that coaching by parents can do so. Using case study methodology, parents, their children aged 14-17 years, and teachers, were interviewed to explore how parents coach their children to instil social behaviour; why parents choose the methods they use and how children demonstrate the social behaviours their parents instil through coaching. The results show that parents use telling, accountability, modelling, authority, and their own learning. Drivers for choosing these methods include the parents’ experience of being parented and the knowledge they gain from parenting. The findings imply that parents can be more needs supportive of their children by dialoguing rather than telling, calibrating the power balance between themselves and their children, allowing co-created solutions, and paying attention to the behaviours their children integrate. Parents also ought to mind transference from their own upbringing to ensure it does not get in the way of coaching their children effectively for social behaviour.