Chapter 2: Father Involvement in Canada

For decades, many educational scholars, practitioners, and media have been decrying the high rate of school dropout in industrialized countries. In order to counter this problem and that of low academic achievement, Canadian educators are encouraging fathers as well as mothers to be more involved in the schooling of their children and particularly that of their sons. The benefits of paternal involvement have been documented over the years. Studies conducted in numerous countries, notably Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have demonstrated the contribution of the father’s positive involvement on the child (e.g., Allen & Daly, 2007; Lamb & Tamis-LeMonda, 2004; Palkovitz, 2002). For instance, Allen and Daly, two Canadian researchers associated with the Father Involvement Research Alliance,¹ published reviews in 2002, then in 2007, on the subject of national and international research examining the impact of the fathers’ involvement on children’s developmental outcomes. Paternal involvement was found to be positively associated with children’s and teenagers’ school performance and motivation, school attendance, and positive attitudes toward school. The children and teenagers of involved fathers also show high levels of social maturity and more highly developed social skills.