Dads key to kids’ academic success

DADS who ask about the school day or talk to teachers could be the secret to boosting a child’s education dreams and confidence.

Soon to be published research looking at a decade of data from Australian kids has investigated how parent engagement in education can swing a child’s expectations and self- efficacy. Researchers from the University of Queensland found the father figure had a significant impact.

The study of children aged 12- 15 asked about how interested in their education they thought their parents were and what they expected to achieve.

A father who was perceived as showing a strong interest doubled the odds of his child expecting to gain tertiary qualifications. Whether the mother showed interest had no effect.

Co authors of the paper Dr Jenny Povey and Alice Campbell said the research was aimed at finding ways to change educational outcomes and break new ground by looking at the father’s role.