Young children perform better at school if their fathers feel they spend sufficient time in play with them, but there is no similar effect for mothers, new research says.
The odds of children reaching a good level of emotional and intellectual development at age five were reduced by 18% if the father said he spent ‘nowhere near enough time’ with them.
The analysis by University of Leeds researchers found that while the time fathers spent drawing, painting, playing games or reading with their children was significant for children’s progress at school, mothers’ opinion about whether they spent enough play time had no link with their progress.
The research was carried out by Dr Helen Norman and Dr Rose Smith, of Leeds University Business School, using Millennium Cohort Study data on children born in 2000-01 in 4,966 two-parent households in England. The project is run in collaboration with Dr Jeremy Davies at the Fatherhood Institute.
Dr Norman told the British Sociological Association’s online annual conference today [Thursday 21 April 2022]: “We found that a higher proportion of children reached a good level of overall achievement in the Early years foundation stage profile when fathers engaged regularly in childcare activities such as drawing and painting, playing games and reading with their children.
“Mothers are more likely to say that the time they spend with their children is enough or more than enough, which reflects the fact that mothers tend to be the ones spending the most time doing childcare so not having enough time with children is less likely to be an issue. This is reflected in our sample where only 5% of mothers said they had ‘nowhere near enough time’ with their five-year old compared to 18% of fathers.”
The survey data found that 18% of fathers felt the time they spent with their five-year-old was ‘nowhere near enough’; and another 41% felt their time together was ‘not quite enough’.
The link between children’s development and the time fathers’ said they spent with them was the case even when the data was adjusted to rule other factors that might affect the child’s attainment, such as their gender, ethnicity, household income and parents’ employment status.
Mothers were more likely than fathers to say they spent enough time with their children at age five, but their feelings about time spent in play had no effect on their children’s progress.
Overall, the study found that 62% of girls reached a good level of achievement, and 47% of boys did so, while 39% of children from poorer households reached a good level of achievement, compared with 58% of children from more affluent households.
Dr Norman said the study had filled a gap in research: “Early parental childcare involvement is critical for supporting children’s development, but this is a conclusion drawn largely from research conducted with mothers or parents more generally.
“Fathers’ childcare involvement should have a positive effect on children’s development, yet there has been little empirical evidence to support this before our study.”
- The Early years foundation stage profile is a set of 13 assessment scales including disposition and attitudes, emotional development, reading, writing, and knowledge and understanding about the world. The Department for Education defines a good level of achievement as a score of 78 out of 117 points, but this must include a score of six or more in each individual scale: personal; social and emotional development and communication; language and literacy.
The British Sociological Association’s annual conference takes place online from 20 to 22 April 2022. Around 500 research papers are presented. The British Sociological Association’s charitable aim is to promote sociology. It is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 3890729. Registered Charity Number 1080235 www.britsoc.co.uk
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Watoto wadogo hufanya vizuri zaidi shuleni ikiwa baba zao wanahisi wanatumia muda wa kutosha kucheza nao, lakini hakuna athari kama hiyo kwa mama, utafiti mpya unasema. "Uwezekano wa watoto kufikia kiwango kizuri cha maendeleo ya kihisia na kiakili katika umri wa miaka mitano ulipungua kwa 18% ikiwa baba alisema ""hakutumia wakati wa kutosha"" pamoja nao." Uchunguzi uliofanywa na watafiti wa Chuo Kikuu cha Leeds uligundua kwamba wakati baba waliotumia kuchora, kuchora, kucheza michezo au kusoma na watoto wao ilikuwa muhimu kwa maendeleo ya watoto shuleni, maoni ya mama kuhusu kama walitumia muda wa kutosha wa kucheza hayakuwa na uhusiano na maendeleo yao. Utafiti huo ulifanywa na Helen Norman na Rose Smith, wa Chuo Kikuu cha Leeds Business School, na kutumia data ya utafiti wa Millennium Cohort juu ya watoto waliozaliwa katika miaka ya 2000 na 2001 katika nyumba 4,966 za wazazi wawili nchini Uingereza. Mradi huo unaendeshwa kwa kushirikiana na Daktari Jeremy Davies katika Taasisi ya Baba. "Katika mkutano wa kila mwaka wa Jumuiya ya Jamii ya Uingereza, Dk Norman alisema: ""Tuliona kwamba asilimia kubwa ya watoto walifikia kiwango kizuri cha mafanikio ya jumla katika hatua ya msingi ya miaka ya mapema wakati baba walifanya shughuli za utunzaji wa watoto kama vile kuchora na kuchora, kucheza michezo na kusoma na watoto wao." Mama ni zaidi ya uwezekano wa kusema kwamba muda wao kutumia na watoto wao ni wa kutosha au zaidi ya kutosha, ambayo inaonyesha ukweli kwamba mama huwa na wale kutumia muda zaidi kufanya utunzaji wa watoto hivyo si kuwa na muda wa kutosha na watoto ni uwezekano mdogo wa kuwa suala. "Hii inaonyeshwa katika sampuli yetu ambapo tu 5% ya mama walisema walikuwa ""hapana karibu na muda wa kutosha"" na watoto wao wa miaka mitano ikilinganishwa na 18% ya baba. ""Data ya utafiti iligundua kwamba 18% ya baba waliona wakati waliotumia na watoto wao wa miaka mitano ""hapana karibu na kutosha"" na 41% nyingine waliona wakati wao pamoja ""haikuwa wa kutosha.""" "Uhusiano kati ya maendeleo ya watoto na wakati baba alisema walitumia pamoja nao ulikuwa hivyo hata wakati data ilipobadilishwa ili kuamua mambo mengine ambayo yanaweza kuathiri mafanikio ya mtoto, kama vile jinsia, kabila, mapato ya kaya na hali ya kazi ya wazazi. """ Mama walikuwa na uwezekano mkubwa zaidi kuliko baba kusema walikuwa wametumia muda wa kutosha na watoto wao katika umri wa miaka mitano, lakini hisia zao kuhusu muda uliotumiwa katika kucheza hazikuwa na athari kwa maendeleo ya watoto wao. Kwa ujumla, utafiti huo uligundua kuwa asilimia 62 ya wasichana walifikia kiwango kizuri cha mafanikio, na asilimia 47 ya wavulana walifanya hivyo, wakati asilimia 39 ya watoto kutoka familia maskini walifikia kiwango kizuri cha mafanikio, ikilinganishwa na asilimia 58 ya watoto kutoka familia tajiri. "Norman alisema utafiti huo umejaza pengo katika utafiti: ""Uhusika wa mapema wa wazazi katika utunzaji wa watoto ni muhimu kwa kuunga mkono maendeleo ya watoto, lakini hii ni hitimisho lililotolewa kwa kiasi kikubwa kutoka kwa utafiti uliofanywa na mama au wazazi kwa ujumla." "Uhusika wa baba katika utunzaji wa watoto unapaswa kuwa na athari nzuri kwa maendeleo ya watoto, lakini kulikuwa na ushahidi mdogo wa kihistoria kuunga mkono hili kabla ya utafiti wetu. "" - Profili ya hatua ya msingi ya miaka ya mapema ni seti ya mizani ya tathmini 13 ikiwa ni pamoja na tabia na mitazamo, maendeleo ya kihisia, kusoma, kuandika, na maarifa na uelewa juu ya ulimwengu." "Kama ilivyoelezwa na Wizara ya Elimu, ""kiwango kizuri cha mafanikio ni alama ya 78 kati ya alama 117,"" lakini hii lazima ijumuishe alama ya 6 au zaidi katika kila kiwango cha mtu binafsi: maendeleo ya kibinafsi, kijamii na kihisia na mawasiliano, lugha na ujuzi wa kusoma na kuandika." Mkutano wa kila mwaka wa Chama cha Jamii cha Uingereza unafanyika mtandaoni kutoka Aprili 20 hadi 22. Karibu makala 500 za utafiti zinatolewa. Lengo la hisani la Chama cha Jamii cha Uingereza ni kukuza jamii. Ni kampuni ndogo kwa dhamana, kusajiliwa katika Uingereza na Wales. Nambari ya kampuni: 389702 "Kama ""Msaada wa Kisaikolojia"" (RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESPONSE: RESP