Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between fathers’ involvement and individual educational attainment.

Respondents whose fathers showed more involvement with them at age 7 (that is, more outings with fathers, more frequently read to by fathers, more interest shown by fathers in their education) tended to have higher levels of educational attainment as young adults than peers whose fathers showed less involvement early on. This was true taking into consideration mothers’ involvement at age 7 and a host of other factors, including respondents’ gender, birth weight, family socioeconomic status, parental education, family size, number of times family moved, parental involvement at age 7, and respondents’ behavior outcomes measured at age 7, their general ability measured at age 11, and their academic motivation measured at age 16.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a longitudinal study of some 17,000 individuals born between March 3 and 9, 1958 in England, Wales and Scotland. Respondents were followed up in 1965 (age 7), 1969 (age 11), 1974 (age 16), 1981 (age 23), 1991 (age 33), and 2000 (age 42). The analytical sample consisted of 7,259 respondents for whom data were available on respondents’ educational attainment at age 20 and mothers’ and fathers’ involvement at age 7.

Source
"Early Father’s and Mother’s Involvement and Child’s Later Educational Outcomes"
Flouri, Eirini
British Journal of Educational Psychology Vol. 74, Number . , 2004. Page(s) 141-153.

FindingID: 8996