Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Father Engagement Questionnaire

Abstract

While there has been increasing interest in promoting father engagement in parenting interventions for child wellbeing, both research and practice endeavors have been hindered by a lack of a measure of father engagement practices. This paper reports the development and evaluation of a comprehensive, practitioner-report measure of father engagement practices–—the Father Engagement Questionnaire (FEQ). Practitioners (N = 589; 84.5% females; mean age = 38.56) involved in delivering parenting interventions in Australia completed the FEQ, along with background demographics and questions regarding their own and organization’s practice. A separate sample of 28 practitioners completed the FEQ twice, with a two-week interim, to assess test–retest stability of the measure. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors corresponding to the measure’s five intended content areas: Confidence in Working with Fathers, Competence in Using Engagement Strategies, Perceived Effectiveness of Engagement Strategies, Frequency of Strategy Use, and Organizational Practices for Father Engagement. Each of these scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability and test–retest stability. As the five scales appear to be related but distinct, it is recommended that the FEQ is used as a multidimensional measure of father engagement. In terms of predictive validity, higher scores on the Confidence in Working with Fathers, Frequency of Strategy Use, and Organizational Practices for Father Engagement scales were associated with a higher likelihood of practitioner-reported father attendance. The results provide support for adequate psychometric properties of the FEQ as a research and clinical tool for assessing and monitoring father engagement practices.

Enhancing Father Engagement in Parenting Programs: Translating Research into Practice Recommendations

“…In one survey, practitioners’ reports of organisational policies such as commitment to involving the whole family and flexible working hours was found to be associated with greater engagement of the whole family—reflecting an effort to involve the father, as well as the mother (Lazar, Sagi, & Fraser, ). Moreover, organisational support for father‐inclusive practice has been found to be a key predictor of practitioner‐reported father attendance rates (Jiang et al, in press; Tully et al, ). Conversely, a lack of organisational support has been reported to be a major barrier to father engagement (Glynn & Dale, ; Tully et al, ).…”

Evaluating Practitioner Training to Improve Competencies and Organizational Practices for Engaging Fathers in Parenting Interventions

“…Practitioners completed questions about their sociodemographic (i.e., age, gender) and professional characteristics (years of experience, profession, current organization, previous participation in training on father engagement). Practitioners also completed the Father Engagement Questionnaire (FEQ) [ 22 ]. The FEQ has 31 items, across five scales with acceptable test–retest reliabilities and internal consistencies [ 22 ].…”

“…Practitioners also completed the Father Engagement Questionnaire (FEQ) [ 22 ]. The FEQ has 31 items, across five scales with acceptable test–retest reliabilities and internal consistencies [ 22 ]. The scales are described below.…”