<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze the influence of democratic parenting and self-esteem on students’ public speaking skills at the Online Business and Marketing Department of SMKN 14 Jakarta. The research employed a Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods design, in which quantitative data were collected and analyzed first, followed by qualitative data to explain and enrich the statistical findings. The quantitative phase involved 70 students selected through proportional random sampling using questionnaires, while the qualitative phase consisted of interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis of students’ academic records and achievements. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression, whereas qualitative data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, conclusion drawing, and source triangulation. The findings revealed that students’ public speaking skills were generally low. Democratic parenting had a positive and significant effect on public speaking skills (t = 3.513 > 1.995), while self-esteem demonstrated a stronger positive and significant effect (t = 8.260 > 1.995). Simultaneously, democratic parenting and self-esteem significantly influenced public speaking skills (F = 29.886 > 3.13) with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.471, indicating that both variables explained 47.1% of the variance in students’ public speaking skills. Qualitative findings confirmed that democratic parenting fostered open communication, emotional support, and opportunities for children to express opinions, which contributed to the development of positive self-esteem. In turn, positive self-esteem enhanced students’ confidence, participation, and effectiveness in public speaking. The study concludes that strengthening family communication and promoting students’ self-esteem are essential strategies for improving public speaking competence.]]>
