Purpose of Study There are many factors that influence the academic success and motivation of students. Social cognitive theory contends that individuals learn and perform based upon a triadic reciprocality of personal factors, behavior, and the environment (Bandura, 1986). Personal factors such as beliefs, behaviors, and the environment equally influence one another. Existing literature suggests that highly motivated students may attain more academic success (Grolnick & Kurowski, 1999; Grolnlick & Ryan, 1989; Grolnick, Ryan, & Deci, 1991); Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994). Thus, parenting practices that influence or teach adaptive motivational and achievement outcomes are an aspect of a student's success that are in need of consideration. This study will examine motivational outcomes, as predicted by parenting practices that may influence student behavior. The purpose of this study is to expand upon the existing research on the relation between parenting practices and motivation. Specific consideration will be given to the parenting practices of parenting style and parent involvement, and two views of motivation, goal orientation, and autonomy. The relations among the styles of parenting, the level and type of parental involvement, and three goal orientations and autonomy will be examined. Styles of parenting are generally described as patterns or configurations of parenting behaviors. Specifically, the parenting styles of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive, as described by Baumrind (1967), will be considered for this study. The parental involvement that will be examined by the present study will include involvement such as attending school functions, helping with homework, or simply showing interest in what is occurring in school may be important to a student's academic career. Parental involvement with both social aspects and intellectually stimulating activities beyond schoolwork will also be assessed as proposed by Grolnick and Slowiaczek (1994). Several different theories attempt to explain what motivates individuals to initiate, persist at, and follow through with certain activities or tasks. Achievement goal theory (Ames & Archer, 1988; Middleton & Midgley, 1997) and self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) are the two views of motivation that will be focused on throughout the present study. Achievement goal theory highlights the purposes behind achievement behaviors (Ames & Archer, 1988; Pintrich & Schunk, 1996). Achievement goal theory examines the purpose behind certain achievement behaviors and the standards of evaluation students use to assess their performance. Self-determination theory examines the social and contextual factors that affect an individual's self-motivation and psychological development (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Self-determination theory includes three innate needs that each individual is believed to have: competence, relatedness, and autonomy. These are the innate psychological needs. The need for autonomy will be the aspect of self-determination theory that will be examined here. This study will contribute to the existing knowledge regarding the relation between INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WHOLE SCHOOLING Vol 3 No. 2 2007 2 parenting practices and motivational processes that foster optimal motivation. Specifically, the study considers parenting practices, such as parental involvement and styles of parenting, to see how predictive they are of goal orientations and the autonomy component of self-determination theory. In particular, this study will be guided by research questions that consider whether or not a relation exists between parenting styles and parental involvement, and a student's goal orientation. In addition, the relation between parenting styles and parental involvement, and student's level of autonomy will be explored in the present study. Finally, the relation between a student's goal orientation and level of relative autonomy will be considered. Potential implications of this study may address the issues surrounding the importance of parenting practices in the academic career of a student.