1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«We wish […] to clarify the concept of father involvement by looking at a number of contributions that researchers with different perspectives have made at both the methodological and disciplinary levels.» (p. 48)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
Données documentaires diverses

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse théorique

3. Résumé

«The quantitative approach that guided earlier studies attempted to validate for fathers the principal results obtained for mothers. Thus, a priori, they placed little emphasis on the specificity of father’s roles, since the conceptual and theoretical frameworks they adopted were essentially supported by data on mothers. An important contribution of these studies was the creation of instruments to measure parental involvement, with some adopting a one-dimensional perspective (the unitary concept) and others considering separately each parent’s investment in different areas of activity (the multidimensional perspective).» (p. 64) «Studies by a qualitative approach have also contributed to the multidimensional view of father involvement by considering – beyond the behavioral spheres (direct or indirect interaction) – the cognitive and affective dimensions associated with fathering. Access to the father’s representations and perceptions investigated in greater depth in interviews and focus groups allows us to better understand and report the psychological and social realities of lesser-known subgroups of fathers, and to construct comprehensive conceptual framework that integrate both the maternal and the paternal entities within the parental component.» (p. 65)