Father Involvement Content in Parent Education Programs in BC

Denise Hodgins, M.Ed., Ph.D. (student)

School of Child & Youth Carewww.cyc.uvic.ca dhodgins@uvic.ca

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC Not an evaluation of programs

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC Not an evaluation of programs Not an observation of programs

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC Not an evaluation of programs Not an observation of programs Not an account of father participation

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC Not an evaluation of programs Not an observation of programs Not an account of father participation

Conducted in 2007

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC Not an evaluation of programs Not an observation of programs Not an account of father participation

Conducted in 2007 Interviewed directors

Research Study Overview

Content analysis of formal parent education programs in BC Not an evaluation of programs Not an observation of programs Not an account of father participation

Conducted in 2007 Interviewed directors Analyzed program materials

Research Questions

Is father involvement included in the program content? If so, what does the content include?

Research Questions

Is father involvement included in the program content? If so, what does the content include?

How is father involvement defined and described in the program content?

Research Questions

Is father involvement included in the program content? If so, what does the content include?

How is father involvement defined and described in the program content?

What approach to father involvement is taken in the program content?

Research Questions

Is father involvement included in the program content? If so, what does the content include?

How is father involvement defined and described in the program content?

What approach to father involvement is taken in the program content?

What factors, if any, are included in the program content that address what contributes to and/or deters the involvement of fathers?

Program Criteria

offered in BC at the time of my study;

Program Criteria

offered in BC at the time of my study; designed for parents of young children,

between the ages of zero and six;

Program Criteria

offered in BC at the time of my study; designed for parents of young children,

between the ages of zero and six; formal education programs rather than

drop-in or informal support services;

Program Criteria

offered in BC at the time of my study; designed for parents of young children,

between the ages of zero and six; formal education programs rather than

drop-in or informal support services; with content that is identified in an outline or

program materials;

Program Criteria

offered in BC at the time of my study; designed for parents of young children,

between the ages of zero and six; formal education programs rather than

drop-in or informal support services; with content that is identified in an outline or

program materials; with content that does not change each time

the program is delivered based on who participates and what the participants request; and

Program Criteria

offered in BC at the time of my study; designed for parents of young children,

between the ages of zero and six; formal education programs rather than

drop-in or informal support services; with content that is identified in an outline or

program materials; with content that does not change each time

the program is delivered based on who participates and what the participants request; and

focused primarily on parent outcomes.

Formal Programs Found in BC (N=26)

Region Different Program

s

# of Location

s

North 9 25

Interior 10 52

Fraser 8 32

Vancouver Coastal 6 49

Vancouver Island 11 35

Participating Programs (N=17)Program focus

# Offered to

Support child behaviour

8 Mom/dad/couple

Parenting relationship

3 Mom/dad/couple (1)Parenting couple (2)

General 2 Mom/dad/couple

Attachment 2 Mom/dad/couple

Fathers 2 Fathers only

FI Content Found (N=17)

FI Content # Type of program

Specific 4 Fathers (2)Couple relationship (1)General (1)

Images and/or parenting example only

11 Attachment (2)Child behaviour (8)General (1)

None 2 Couple relationship (2)

Promising Findings

Variety of audiences presented with specific FI content

Promising Findings

Variety of audiences presented with specific FI content

Generative approach to FI

Approaches to FI

Based on Erikson’s (1950, 1982 as cited in Dollahite, Hawkins & Brotherson, 1997) concept of generativity, generative fathering is “fathering that meets the needs of children by working to create and maintain a developing ethical relationship with them” (p. 20).

Approaches to FI

A deficit paradigm situates fathers as “uninvolved, uninterested, unskilled and unmotivated to perform their proper paternal role” (Hawkins & Dollahite, 1997, p. 7).

Approaches to FI

A comparative framework views paternal involvement through a mother template (Palkovitz, 1997), whereby fathers’ involvement and abilities are “invariably described and evaluated . . . by using women’s performance of the mother role as the model or standard” (Day & Mackey, 1989, p. 401).

Promising Findings

Generative approach to FI Variety of audiences presented with

specific FI content Several dimensions of FI

acknowledged

Dimensions of FI Found (n=15)Dimension of FI In parenting

example/image

In written material/discussi

on

Discipline 11 2

Caregiver 8 4

Emotion coach 8 3

Play partner 8 2

Teacher/role model

7 3

Provider 4 3

Cognitive processes

0 2

Support mother 0 1

Promising Findings

Generative approach to FI Variety of audiences presented with

specific FI content Several dimensions of FI

acknowledged Pathways/barriers to FI introduced

Pathways/barriers to FI (n=4)

Father’s emotions 4

Self-reflection 3

Mother gatekeeping 3

Philosophical shift 3

Parenting team 2

Open to learn 2

Self-nurture 2

There is opportunity to:

provide parent education programs with space to examine the relational qualities that impact effective parenting, rather than focus on “problem parenting” as necessarily stemming from a lack of knowledge or skills about behaviour (Grusec, 2006), inviting the exploration of the interconnectedness of paternal involvement with other relational contexts (Palkovitz, 2002).

There is opportunity to:

improve parent education programs so they take into account the enormous complexity of father involvement, including the “cultural embeddedness and variability” (Roggman et al., 2002, p. 2) of fatherhood today.

There is opportunity to:

explore the tensions, challenges, and possibilities that are generated within the “shifting gender practices in the culture of parenting” (Daly, 2004, p.11) for both fathers and mothers.

Why focus on parent education as a place to increase father involvement

information?

Education and support resources available to parents are growing (Mann, 2006)

Why focus on parent education as a place to increase father involvement

information?

Education and support resources available to parents are growing (Mann, 2006)

Parent education programs both project and participate in generating the construction of parents

Why focus on parent education as a place to increase father involvement

information?

Education and support resources available to parents are growing (Mann, 2006)

Parent education programs both project and participate in generating the construction of parents

Formal programs can compliment other resources designed to support parenting capacity

Why focus on parent education as a place to increase father involvement

information?

Education and support resources available to parents are growing (Mann, 2006)

Parent education programs both project and participate in generating the construction of parents

Formal programs can compliment other resources designed to support parenting capacity

Many parents participate in prenatal and post-natal parent education classes (Solk, 2007)

Why focus on parent education as a place to increase father involvement

information?Education and support resources available to

parents are growing (Mann, 2006)Parent education programs both project and

participate in generating the construction of parentsFormal programs can compliment other resources

designed to support parenting capacity Many parents participate in prenatal and post-natal

parent education classes (Solk, 2007)Not including father involvement information in

parent education programs is a missed opportunity