An Investigation into Parental Disciplinary Measures and Effects in China

The study investigated 13 high school students in Xi'an China on 1) disciplinary measures adopted by their parents, 2) the effects on their academic performance and affection for their parents. The method of in-depth interview was adopted and NVivo was employed in data analysis. The results from this investigation show that 1) physical punishment with good reason in early childhood can be forgiven by them after entering into high school; 2) constructive verbal discipline is the most effective method of discipline for academic performance and the development of a parent-child bond; 3) nagging has a detrimental effect on both school performance and the intergenerational relationship.