Fathers in Early Years
Hard to reach? Engaging fathers in early years settings.
This research is published at a time when the engagement of fathers in their children's learning and development is high on government's policy agenda. It builds from University of Derby's interest in men working in childcare and the Alliance's initiatives to support early years settings to support effective father engagement.
Our research question is:
What are the reported experiences of practitioners and male care-givers surrounding their everyday encounter in the early years setting?
Despite demographic, economic and social changes over the latter half of the 20th Century, early years settings remain a predominantly female 'space'. This has clear implications about how fathers engage with this arena. Much has been written about the lack of men who work in childcare, some about how men can become more involved in father-friendly activities but very little about what fathers and practitioners feel about the everyday encounter at the nursery.
Methodology and approach
We adopted a qualitative approach through the collection of data from small group discussions and one-to-one interviews. This was analysed to draw out themes from what practitioners and fathers said or did not say, while at the same time remaining true to participants' meanings.
Recognising the focus of the research on personal experiences, it is important not to generalise or extrapolate too far from the information gained but the personal views offered are valuable due to the insights they provide to fathers' and practitioners' perceptions of fathers' experiences of early years settings.
