Research Reports
A Study on the Needs for Education for Fathers in Cheongsong County
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AuthorCho, Mihyoung
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Publication Date2014.02.28
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Original
Research Background
Cheongsong County is making efforts to improve the poor educational environment in order to decrease residents moving out. As part of the efforts, Cheongsong County noted that a father’s role in a family is becoming more important, as parents’ responsibility for child rearing and education increases, and recognized that studying education for fathers beforehand is needed. Education for fathers will help to strengthen father-child interaction, increase fathers’ confidence, and improve family relationships. Cheongsong County, however, do not have an organization for education for fathers, and thus do not provide information necessary for child rearing. This study aims to examine the current status of education programs for fathers in Korea, analyze the needs for education for fathers and the child rearing situation of fathers who have preschool or elementary school children in Cheongsong County, and present the directions of education for fathers in Cheongsong County.
Research Methods
This study examined fathers’ child rearing reality and their needs for education for them through a literature review, a survey, and a meeting, and drew the directions of education for fathers in Cheongsong County. To know the current state of education for fathers, the following were examined: the manual and guidebook for education for fathers and the project guide of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. To know Cheongsong County’s general state, Cheongsong County’s statistical yearbooks and the Gyeongsangbukdo Office of Education’s statistics were used. To examine Cheongsong County’s child rearing reality and needs for education for fathers, a survey was conducted. 535 households with kindergarteners or elementary school children and 295 fathers were surveyed.
Research Results and Implications
According to the research results, there were differences in Cheongsong County fathers’ child rearing time, their difficulties in child rearing, experiences of parents participation events, and needs for education for fathers, depending on the father’s job, his highest level of education, age, children’s mother’s employment status, and the number of children. Reflecting these needs, Cheongsong County needs to operate education programs for fathers by stages. First, education is needed to improve fathers’ child rearing attitudes or their awareness of the father’s role. Second, training is needed to provide necessary information according to children’s age, discipline methods, and skills for communicating with children. Third, it is necessary to provide education for parents including mothers and training for couples so as to improve family relationships. Furthermore, Cheongsong County should make efforts to provide a safe environment for child rearing, and to support child rearing not at the individual family level but at the community level. Also, programs are needed for children who need additional care in multicultural families, single parent families, and grandparent-headed families, and children with disabilities.
To operate education programs for fathers as Cheongsong County’s specialized project, Cheongsong County should develop training programs considering fathers’ situations and necessary information, and find ways to manage programs systematically and continuously by various methods such as linking with public libraries’ lifelong education programs or outreach education.
Researchers: Mihyoung Cho, Kyu-Hyoung Jeong
Research period: 2013. 11 ～ 2014. 2
E-mail address: mihyoung@krei.re.kr
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