The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among three types of fathering involvement (father-child communication, fathers' participation in caring for their child and fathers' participation in their child's school, cultural and leisure activities) and two aspects of a child's development (academic performance and selfconcept) among children in their first years of schooling. The participants were 97 fathers, mothers and their children, who were attending the first or second grade. To evaluate father involvement from two different perspectives, both the fathers and the mothers completed the Evaluation questionnaire about individual and family well-being and the parentchild relationship - Fathering Version. Children's academic performance and selfconcept were evaluated using the School Performance Test and the Self-Description Questionnaire I, respectively. The greater the frequency of father-child communication, of the fathers' participation in caring for their children, and in their children's school, cultural and leisure activities, the stronger the children's academic performance and the more positive their selfconcept. These results are indicative of the importance of fathers' involvement and point out the need for educational interventions specifically for men.
Self-concept; Paternal behavior; Student; Academic achievement
