Research

Drawing on original data on father involvement from a study of 1,684 respondents in 10 Middle Eastern countries, this article explores the intersection of father involvement with gender, geography (Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] vs. non-GCC), and generations, with educational attainment. To examine these relationships, we conducted a series of ANOVAs and regressions, supplemented with qualitative interview data. Overall, we find that fathers are perceived to be more encouraging of their daughters’ education than their sons’, that fathers from the GCC are perceived as less involved in their children’s education, and that younger fathers are perceived to be more involved in their children’s education than older ones. We also find that children who perceived their fathers as encouraging and good providers are associated with higher educational attainment. However, this article underscores the need for further research on the nature and impact of father involvement on education in the Middle East.

Recommended citation: Ridge, N., & Jeon, S. (2020). Father involvement and education in the Middle East: Geography, gender, and generations. Comparative Education Review, 54 (4). https://doi.org/10.1086/710768

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/710768