The relationship between paternal expectations, involvement and support and children's social-emotional competence: An urban-rural comparison in China

In recent years, alongside observations that educational disparities between urban and rural areas in China are gradually diminishing, the involvement and supportive role of fathers in preschool children's education have garnered increasing attention. Therefore, this study surveyed the fathers of 1218 preschool children using the Parent Expectations Scale (PES), the Chinese Preschool Children's Parent Involvement and Support Scale (CPISSPC), and the Preschool Behavior and Emotion Rating Scale (Pre-BERS). The findings are as follows: (1) Paternal expectations significantly predicted their involvement and support levels, and influenced preschool children's social-emotional competence. Furthermore, paternal involvement and support levels also significantly predicted preschool children's social-emotional competence. (2) In rural areas, paternal involvement and support fully mediated the relationship between expectations and children's social-emotional competence; whereas in urban settings, they only partially mediated this relationship. Findings suggest that providing fathers with necessary educational guidance to promote active involvement can serve as an effective intervention strategy for enhancing children's social-emotional competence.