Perspectives of Teachers on Enhancing Fathers’ Engagement in Early Childhood Education of their Children through School-based Strategies

Abstract

Parental engagement in their children's education is widely recognized as a critical determinant of children's academic, social, and emotional development. However, the extent of paternal involvement is often influenced by the strategies adopted by schools to promote meaningful home–school partnerships. Despite growing international interest in father engagement, empirical evidence on school-based strategies that facilitate parental participation in early childhood education remains limited in the Nigerian context. This study therefore examined school-based strategies that promote parental engagement in their children's early learning. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the study adopted a quantitative research approach within the positivist paradigm using a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 145 participants comprising 30 school head teachers and 115 teachers selected from public early childhood education centres. A structured questionnaire was employed for data collection, and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and independent-samples t-tests. The findings revealed that strategies perceived to be most effective in promoting parental engagement included extending invitations specifically to fathers for school meetings, maintaining consistent communication with fathers regarding their children's academic and behavioural progress, creating father-friendly school environments, and implementing deliberate school initiatives that encourage paternal participation. No statistically significant difference was observed between head teachers' and teachers' perceptions of the identified strategies. The study concludes that proactive school-based engagement practices play a crucial role in strengthening parental involvement in early childhood education. It recommends that education authorities and school leaders institutionalize father-inclusive policies and systematically implement evidence-based engagement strategies to enhance partnerships between schools and families. The findings contribute to the growing literature on family–school partnerships and provide practical guidance for improving father engagement in early childhood education within South Africa and comparable educational contexts.