Predicting children's social adaptation and academic achievement from father-child preschool rough-and-tumble-play and father involvement in child schooling.

Most studies interested in understanding the role of parents in children's school adjustment have focused on mothers. Given the importance of father-child play during the preschool period, this study explores the possible links of father-child rough-and-tumble play and also father's involvement in child schooling with two dimensions of school adjustment: social adaptation and academic achievement. Observational data was collected from father-child rough-and-tumble play sessions filmed in family homes when children were average age of 4 years. Fathers completed the Family Involvement Questionnaire on parent involvement in child schooling, and teachers completed the Social Behaviour Questionnaire and the Teacher Report form to assess social adaptation, and the Teacher Rating Scale to assess academic achievement when children (40 boys; 32 girls) were average age of 8 years. Boys demonstrated more externalising behaviours at school when during rough-and-tumble play fathers let them direct the play. Boys were more prosocial at school when their fathers were more involved in school-based activities, while girls demonstrated more internalising behaviours at school when their fathers were less involved in home-based learning activities. Moreover, boys performed less well academically when fathers demonstrated more negative reactions than boys, the dyad demonstrated more upset terminations, and boys demonstrated more fear and less anger during rough-and-tumble play. Girls performed less well academically when during rough-and-tumble play fathers made more rules and fewer positive reactions towards them. Neither boys' nor girls' academic achievement was related to any type of fathers' school involvement. The study fills a gap in understanding the ways in which father involvement influences children's school adjustment according to the children's sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]