Abstract

As traditional family roles change and circumstances at home become increasingly varied in contemporary society, the experiences of children also undergo change. For instance, when fathers take on primary caregiving responsibilities, those differing circumstances also impact their children. Therefore, it is important for researchers to study how changing parental roles affect children in the home. Through the use of qualitative research design, this research focuses on how the experiences of children within the home may be impacted when fathers are the primary caregiver. Although previous research has examined several aspects of family dynamics with so-called stay-at-home fathers, research has not yet evaluated how full-time fathering in the home may impact children's educational and school experiences. This thesis describes six fathers' and six mothers' perspectives about their children's school experiences when the father provides childcare in the home while the mother works full-time outside the home. Results suggest that division of roles in a family can affect some areas of children's experiences and responses implied there are multiple interacting variables that contribute to the parental influences on children. Mothers focus on the social experiences of their children as components of overall school experience. Fathers more frequently talked about the emotional and behavioral components of school experience. The results inform the disciplines of family science, teacher education, and school psychology of key considerations when working with children in this nontraditional family arrangement.

Degree

EdS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Rights

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