Fathers’ involvement on children’s school performance among camped-refugees and local majorities’ communities in Tanzania

Abstract

This study assessed differences in fathers’ roles and involvements in children’s development and learning in Tanzania. It compared fathers’ socio-economic statuses and their implications on children’s various indicators of learning attainments. A total of 400 fathers and 400 pre-primary and early grades children aged between 5 and 7 years–100 from each of rural camped refugees, rural non-refugees, urban poor and urban affluent groups were recruited. Data were collected by fathers’ questionnaires and interviews. Learning attainments were measured by Bracken’s Basic Concept Scale–Receptive, Early Grades Reading, and Mathematics Assessments. Findings indicated that fathers who were closely involved, their children demonstrated higher learning attainments. Compared to rural non-refugees, rural camped refugee fathers demonstrated close involvement which resulted in higher learning attainments for their children. Further, the role of fathers in children’s development and learning varied across the four social groups. These findings broaden our understandings of various supportive factors related to the involvement of fathers on children’s development and learning. In Tanzanian contexts with limited educational resources and prevalent inequalities, to maximise children’s potentials, fathers’ involvement is critically important.