Journal of ICSAR ISSN (print): 2548-8619; ISSN (online): 2548-8600 Volume 8, Number 1; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17977/um005v8i1p18 18 The Relationship between Democratic Parenting Styles and Independence in Mobility Orientation of Visually Impaired Students in Special School in The Solo Raya Region Donni Prakosha*, Mutmainnatul Hasanah*, Supriyadi Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia *E-mail: donni@staff.uns.ac.id, mutmainnatul16@gmail.com, supriyadi@staff.uns.ac.id Abstract: This study aims to determine the relationship between democratic parenting styles and independence in the mobility orientation of visually impaired students in special school in the Solo Raya region. The quantitative correlational method was employed, with the research subjects consisting of 30 parents of visually impaired students aged 7-15 years in special school in the Solo Raya region. The sampling technique used was probability sampling through cluster random sampling. Data collection was conducted using a non- test instrument (scale). The analysis technique employed was the Pearson Product Moment correlation with the assistance of SPSS 26. The results of this study showed a significance level of 0.507, indicating a linear relationship between the two variables. The correlation coefficient value in the hypothesis test results between the two variables was 0.757, indicating a strong level of association. The conclusion, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between parental democratic parenting and the independence of mobility orientation of blind students in SLB in the Solo Raya region with a correlation. Keywords: Democratic Parenting Styles; Independence in Mobility Orientation; Visually Impaired Students. INTRODUCTION In the growth stage of a child, the family is the first environment that plays a big role. Every family has different ways of educating and caring for children. Parenting is very necessary at the stage of child development with the aim that children can grow and develop as expected. This is in accordance with what was revealed by Sari (2020), many factors influence the process of growth and development of children, one of which is parenting patterns. Parental behaviour will bring good results, especially if done correctly. The success of a child in facing his life depends on parents providing life supplies to their children. This can be done by providing education, fulfilling life needs such as food and clothing, religion, independence, and establishing norms in society. The parenting provided by parents will be based on the needs and circumstances of the child. Children with special needs require a slightly different way of being educated than children in general. There are various types of special needs children, one of which is children with visual impairment, often referred to as blindness. According to Rani, & Jauhari, (2018). blind children are children who experience special needs in their vision, either mildly (low vision) or totally (blind), and require special services related to their needs. Blind is used to describe children who use their senses in learning, while low vision is used to refer to children who can still utilize their remaining vision in learning. usually, impaired children are categorized as children with visual abnormalities (Hermawan et al., 2018). Hallahan et al. (1997) define visual impairment as someone with 20/20 or less vision visibility on the corrected eye (e.g. with glasses) or has a very narrow field of vision with the widest diameter distance, not more than 20 degrees. Their main problem is an orientation and mobility in an environment they do not know. There are a lot of efforts have been made to improve their mobility, for the example using technology. Many people with the serious visual impairment are in doubt in traveling by themselves (Marlina & Siti, 2018). http://issn.pdii.lipi.go.id/issn.cgi?daftar&&&&&2548-8600 mailto:donni@staff.uns.ac.id mailto:mutmainnatul16@gmail.com mailto:supriyadi@staff.uns.ac.id Prakosha, Hasanah, & Supriyadi, The Relationship Between Democratic Parenting … 19 In fact, blind children often experience difficulties developing their independence. Based on initial observations made of blind children in SLB A YKAB Surakarta, there are still blind children who are less independent in carrying out their mobility orientation activities. Children still need a lot of help from other people, especially their parents, in carrying out their daily activities. Blind children need mobility and orientation skills to carry out their activities. This is in line with Hidayat & Suwandi (2013) orientation and mobility skills can make it easier to carry out daily activities. Mobility orientation is a basic need and must be ensured that blind children must master it to make it easier to carry out various activities. These mobility orientation skills can help children to support their independence. Independence is an important aspect that children should have because it will improve their lives. Sa’Diyah (2017) revealed that independence is a person's ability not to depend on others in caring for themselves, being able to make decisions, and interacting socially with others. The ability to do things independently will free children from dependence on others to carry out daily activities. Blind students in setting themselves associated with surrounding objects, they require three fundamental principles including determining the orientation of where to position themselves to be, knowing the object or area of interest, and realizing how to arrive at a destination. These three principles are obtained through special skill learned in schools that are Orientation and Mobility (O&M) (Rahayu & Sunardi, 2018). Parents are the first people who can provide guidance and training to blind children. This guidance and training provided by parents is a way of influencing children's independence. The application of parenting patterns will have an impact on children's mobility orientation abilities. A democratic pattern can help stimulate children's mobility orientation independence. This is in line with the opinion of Adpriyadi & Sudarto (2020) Democratic parenting is a parenting pattern that gives children the freedom to express their opinions and do what they want without crossing the boundaries or rules that parents have set. This democratic parenting can be seen in the open attitude between parents and their children. If this parenting pattern is well implemented, it will have a good impact because it can help blind children explore their environment without making them feel afraid to question things they have just met, so that they do not feel limited in their space. However, children still get supervision from parents. With this parenting pattern, children have a mobility orientation that can help them carry out daily activities independently. Based on the explanation that has been described, the researcher is interested in conducting research related to parental democratic parenting with the independence of blind students. Based on the description presented, this research was conducted to find out the relationship between parental democratic parenting and the independence of mobility orientation of visually impaired students in slb solo raya region. METHOD In this study, the correlational quantitative method was used. The use of correlational quantitative methods in this study aims to determine whether there is a relationship between one variable and another variable. The sampling technique used in this study was probability sampling by means of cluster random sampling. The population in this study were all parents of blind students in four SLB in the Solo Raya region, which included Solo Raya, which included SLB-A YKAB Surakarta, SLB Negeri Karanganyar, SLB A YAAT Klaten, and SLB Negeri Boyolali. The sample used in this study amounted to 30 people from the total population of parents of blind children in SLB in the Greater Solo region, considering the criteria set by the researcher. The criteria used as samples by researchers, namely the first, are the parents of blind children who attend school in one of the SLBs that are used as research sites. Second, parents who have blind children aged 7–15 years. 20 Journal of ICSAR; Volume 8, Number 1, January 2024, 13-25 The technique used to collect data in this study used non-test instruments (scales) with a questionnaire in the form of two scales, namely the parental democratic parenting scale and the mobility orientation independence scale for blind students. The validity test used in this study was content validity, so if the instruments used in this study are valid, then content validity testing techniques can be assisted by using an instrument grid or instrument development matrix. This research scale is assisted using the Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient formula and uses the help of Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) 26 software to test the validity level of each instrument. According to Arikunto (2013) the validity of the instrument is shown through the correlation value in the SPSS output, which is compared with the significance level of 5% or 0.05. Then, for external testing of the instrument, tests can be used, and the results are analyzed by correlation to determine the consistency of the instrument. The reliability test used is the Cronbach's Alpa model, and then analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) statistic 26. According to Azwar (2022) the questionnaire is said to be reliable if the coefficient is > 0.6. This study uses Pearson's Product moment correlation data analysis technique with the help of the Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) Statistic 26 application. This research data analysis technique uses two analysis tests, namely the data analysis requirements test and hypothesis testing. RESULT AND DISCUSSION This research was conducted in SLB in the Solo Raya region in four districts or cities including Surakarta, Karangayar, Boyolali, and Klaten. This research was conducted in May-June 2023. Details of SLB used as research sites are in the Table 1. Table 1. List of schools No School Name City/Cab Respondents 1 SLB A YKAB Surakarta Surakarta 13 2 SLB Negeri Karangayar Karangayar 4 3 SLB-A YAAT Klaten Klaten 10 4 SLB Negeri Boyolali Boyolali 3 The subjects in this study are parents of learners who meet certain criteria, namely having blind children aged 7–15 years who attend special schools in the Solo Raya region. Based on the data obtained, the age categorization of blind students who attend SLB in the Greater Solo Raya region are in the Table 2. Table 2. Demographic Data Categorization Based on Age of Learners No Age of Learners (Years) Subjects 1 7 7 2 8 1 3 9 1 4 10 2 5 11 8 6 12 2 7 13 3 8 14 4 9 15 2 Total 30 Prakosha, Hasanah, & Supriyadi, The Relationship Between Democratic Parenting … 21 Based on the research conducted, the data description is in the Table 3. Table 3. Descriptive Statistical Analysis Results Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Parental Democratic Parenting 30 54 77 64.67 6.493 Independence Mobility Orientation 30 40 69 53.63 8.965 Valid N (listwise) 30 Based on the research subject categorization grouping formula used to group respondents' answers using three categorizations, namely, low, medium, and high categories. Therefore, the data results from the scale of parental democratic parenting with the independence of mobility orientation have been carried out previously. The categorization is in the Table 4 and 5. (1) Parental Democratic Parenting Scale Table 4. Categorization of Democratic Parenting No. Category Score Total 1 Low X < 40 - 2 Medium 40 < X ≤ 60 10 3 High 60 ≤ X 20 Based on data from the categorization table, parenting patterns are divided into three categories: low, medium, and high. The data results in the category of democratic parenting show that no parents have low democratic parenting, 10 parents have moderate democratic parenting, and 20 parents have high democratic parenting. In the low category, parents never practice democratic parenting with students. Furthermore, in the moderate category, parents sometimes practice democratic parenting with students, such as giving them freedom while still under parental control so they can express their feelings, tell their problems, and receive support. Meanwhile, in the high categorization, parents use democratic parenting in their care for students. The results of the data obtained show that the conditions of democratic parenting applied in the field are in the high category, so many parents apply democratic parenting in their care. According to Jojon, et al., (2017) if children get democratic parenting, they will have good growth and development. So it can be concluded that most parents of blind students aged 7–15 years have democratic parenting in the high category, the higher the democratic parenting applied by parents to their children, the better the child's growth and development. (2) Mobility Orientation Independence Scale Based on data from the categorization Table 5, students' mobility orientation independence is divided into three categories, namely low, medium, and high. The results 22 Journal of ICSAR; Volume 8, Number 1, January 2024, 13-25 of the data on the categorization of mobility orientation independence are that no students have low mobility orientation independence, 14 students have moderate mobility orientation independence, and 16 children have high mobility orientation independence. In the low category, learners are still very dependent on others in mobility orientation activities, such as still needing other people's rocks when moving places, not having self- control over their environment and social environment, and not being able to express their feelings. Table 5. Categorization of Mobility Orientation Independence No. Category Score Total 1 Low X < 38 - 2 Medium 38 < X ≤ 57 14 3 High 57 ≤ X 16 Then in the medium category, namely, students can carry out mobility orientation activities independently but sometimes still need other people, such as recognizing newly visited places. Furthermore, in the high category, the independence of mobility orientation of students is very good. According to Fauziyyah et al., (2022), children need parental support to increase their independence because parents have a role in the process of developing independence. So, it can be concluded that most blind students aged 7–15 years have mobility orientation independence in the high category; the higher the level of mobility orientation independence applied by parents to their children, the higher the child's independence skills. Data Analysis 1) Normality Test The Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test is part of the classic assumption test, which aims to determine whether the residual value is normally distributed or not. A good regression model should have a normally distributed residual value. If the significance result is > 0.05, it means that the residuals are normally distributed; otherwise, if the significance result is 0.05, it means that the residuals are not normally distributed. The results of the normality test in this study are in the Table 6. Table 6. Normality Test Results One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test Unstandardized Residual N 30 Normal Parametersa,b Mean .0000000 Std. Deviation 5.85583183 Most Extreme Differences Absolute .127 Positive .085 Negative -.127 Test Statistic .127 Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .200c Prakosha, Hasanah, & Supriyadi, The Relationship Between Democratic Parenting … 23 Based on the results of the normality test, the significance value of the normality test in this study is 0.200. This value is greater than 0.05, so it can be concluded that this research is normally distributed, so the assumption of normality is successfully fulfilled. 2) Linearity Test The linearity test serves to determine the form of the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. If the sig value. deviation from linearity is > 0.05, then the dependent variable is linear. The results of the linearity test in this study are in the Table 7. Table 7. ANOVA Table Based on the linearity test results above, the sig. deviation from linearity is 0.507. This value is greater than 0.05. So, it can be concluded that there is a linear relationship between parental democratic parenting and independence of mobility orientation. 3) Hypothesis Test Results Hypothesis testing of the data from the results of this study was processed using Pearson's product moment correlation statistical analysis to determine the form of the relationship between the democratic parenting of parents and the orientation independence of blind students and to determine the direction and magnitude of the correlation coefficient between the democratic parenting of parents and the mobility orientation independence of blind students. The results of hypothesis testing in this study are as follows: Table 8. Hypothesis Test Results Correlations Pola Asuh Demokratis Orang Tua Kemandirian Orientasi Mobilitas Democratic Parenting style Pearson Correlation 1 .757** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 30 30 Independence Mobility Orientation Pearson Correlation .757** 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 30 30 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). ANOVA Table Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. MobilityOrientation Independence * Democratic Parenting styles Between Groups (Combined) 1868.800 16 116.800 3.285 .018 Linearity 1336.534 1 1336.534 37.595 .000 Deviation from Linearity 532.266 15 35.484 .998 .507 Within Groups 462.167 13 35.551 Total 2330.967 29 24 Journal of ICSAR; Volume 8, Number 1, January 2024, 13-25 Based on the results in the hypothesis test table, the significance value between the variables of parental democratic parenting and the independence of mobility orientation of blind students is 0.000, thus the results of the hypothesis decision in this study are Ha accepted because the significance value is 0.000 <0.05. Furthermore, to determine the strength of the relationship between the variable of parental democratic parenting and the variable of independence of mobility orientation of blind students based on the correlation coefficient guidelines. The magnitude of the correlation coefficient shows that the greater the value of the correlation coefficient interval in the hypothesis test results between the two variables is 0.757. From these results, it shows an interval of 0.60–0.799, which means that there is a strong level of relationship. CONCLUSION After conducting research and analyzing data regarding the relationship between parental democratic parenting and the independence of mobility orientation of blind students in SLB in the Solo Raya region. Then, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between parental democratic parenting and the independence of mobility orientation of blind students in SLB in the Solo Raya region with a correlation value of 0.757. Solo Raya region with a correlation value of 0.757. Based on the results of the research found, it is important for parents to provide good parenting patterns for students. This needs to be a special concern for parents because the way parenting is given can have an impact on the growth and development of students. Thus, parents can apply democratic parenting to help the growth and development of students, one of which is independence in students. This parental democratic parenting can be used as a reference or source of reference to be conveyed to parents of blind students at school. In addition, teachers can assist parents in increasing the independence of learners through parenting classes to parents. Thus, parents can understand more about democratic parenting, how to apply it, the impact on students, etc. REFERENCES Adpriyadi, A., & Sudarto, S. (2020). Pola Asuh Demokratis Orang Tua Dalam Pengembangan Potensi Diri Dan Karakter Anak Usia Dini [Parents' Democratic Parenting in Developing Children's Self-Potential and Character in Early Childhood]. 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