A father’s relationship to his child’s
current and future academic success and the level of his or her development in
academic potential and scholastic achievement are both factors with some rather
interesting implications that educators are beginning to study and evaluate. As
a matter of fact, "life with father" has been discovered to be a very important
factor in determining a child’s progress or lack of progress in school.
A recent survey of over 16,000 children made by the National
Child Development Study in London, England, revealed that children whose fathers
came to school conferences and accompanied their children on outing did
measurably better in school than did those children whose fathers were not
involved in those activities. The study, which monitored children born during a
week in March, 1958, from the time of their birth through the years of their
early schooling, further revealed that the children of actively involved fathers
scored as much as seven months higher in reading and math than did those
children whose only involved parent was the mother. The purpose of the study was
to evaluate the role played by fathers in the raising of a child. It indicated a
much higher level of parental involvement by the father than had been estimated.
Over 66% of the fathers were said to have played a major role in parental
responsibility. The study also suggested that the
greatest level of paternal parenting took place in the families of only
children. As the number of children and financial obligations increases, the
father’s apparent interest and involvement with the children decreased. However,
no matter what the size or financial condition of the family, a father’s active
participation in the child’s development made a definite difference in the
child’s progress. The study further revealed that while
the frequency of overnight absences reflected a corresponding deficiency
employment on late shifts appeared to have little effect on the child’s academic
progress. The data from the study was Obtained primarily through interviews from
parents, teachers and physicians. The information evaluating the level of the
father’s parenting performance was obtained primarily from the admittedly
subjective observations of their wives. Children who tended to generally progress academically were______.
A. those whose mothers gave them the most affection
B. children who had been given a balanced diet
C. from one-parent families
D. those who had no brothers or sisters