Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Dr. Dickinson

Abstract

The involvement of fathers in the daily activities of their children has proven to be a substantial factor in nurturing children's speech and language development, fine motor skills development, gross motor skills development, social and emotional development, and cognitive development. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate fathers and the time spent involved in the daily activities of their children. Guided by Rawls's social contract theory, the research question sought to determine whether there is a statistically significant relationship between the living arrangements (cohabitating and non-cohabitating) of fathers and the time spent involved in the daily activities of their children. The researcher utilized secondary data obtained from the Centers for Disease Control National Survey of Family Growth from 2011-2015, which utilizes a national probability sample of men (N = 9,321) aged 14-44 years living in the United States. To analyze each response, the researcher conducted z tests to determine the proportions of fathers who responded with each level of frequency for each interaction with the child by living arrangement (cohabitating with their child or not cohabitating with their child). Results for the differences in proportions of each response to this question were all significant (p < .001). The implications of this study are that the findings have the potential to influence legislators to enact rebuttable presumption child custody legislative language. If adopted, rebuttable presumption child custody statutory language would dictate spending equal time with each parent as long as both were deemed “fit and loving” parents.

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