This study examined whether a group educational intervention during the transition to parenthood can enhance the quality of father-child interaction and increase father involvement with their children. A randomized experimental design was used to evaluate an 8-session program with 165 couples who were first-time parents, beginning during the second trimester of pregnancy and ending at 5 months postpartum. Outcomes were assessed with time diaries, coded observations of parent-child play, and self-reports of fathers and mothers. The intervention had positive effects on fathers' skills in interacting with their babies and their involvement on work days but not home days. It is concluded that a relatively brief intervention during the transition to parenthood can improve fathering, and possible reasons for differential effects on areas of parenting are explored.
Sampling is one of the most difficult and contentious aspects of qualitative research design. There are few guidelines for sampling decisions or for understanding saturation in qualitative family research. The authors frame the problematic of data quality in the selection of units of analysis and observation and consider how to enhance sample richness. They outline considerations for data quantity and sample size as well as case‐ and variable‐based approaches. With multiple examples from recent and classic studies to illustrate the consequences of sampling decisions, they explore links between saturation and validity. Finally, they encourage researchers to craft a coherent statement on qualitative integrity to demonstrate how their sampling decisions are rooted in epistemology, theory, and richness and quality of data.
Qualitative manuscripts occupy a multidimensional world and can vary by their “latitude” (where they are with respect to the humanities and sciences), “longitude” (where they are with respect to the length and number of data excerpts), and “altitude” (where they are with respect to the level of theorizing). In this article, I discuss these 3 dimensions as they relate to the field of family studies, delineate the options available to authors as they carry out their analyses and present their findings, and outline the criteria reviewers frequently use when they evaluate qualitative work. It is hoped that, with a map of the writing and reviewing process, authors will be better equipped to chart the coordinates of their qualitative manuscripts and reviewers will be better able to provide the kinds of recommendations that authors can profitably utilize.
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