Playfulness of children means quality and an aspect of play that children show in play situations as a propensity as well as psychological apprehension on play. While preceding researches report that playfulness of children has positive correlations w...
Playfulness of children means quality and an aspect of play that children show in play situations as a propensity as well as psychological apprehension on play. While preceding researches report that playfulness of children has positive correlations with social competence, creativity, emotional regulation and learning behaviors, etc., it suggested that playfulness of children is an important variable in child development.
The present research aims to find out if father-related variables have any influence on playfulness development of children at the present time when a father's role is increasing in rearing of children. Considering the preceding researches, playfulness, parental efficacy and fathers' parenting behaviors were selected as father-related variables, and found out an influence of these respective variables on playfulness of children. In addition, this research set a hypothetical model that as parenting behaviors serve as a medium, playfulness and fathers' parental efficacy will have influence on playfulness of children and aimed to verify whether the present model is a suitable model or not.
This research collects and analyzed material with the target of 250 children at a kindergarten and nursery located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do and their 250 fathers. SPSS 15.0 and AMOS 7.0 were used for analysis of the present material.
As a research result, first, fathers' playfulness had an influence on playfulness of children. As a result of finding out the size of influence that subordinate factors of fathers' playfulness have on playfulness of an infant through a stepwise regression analysis, cheerfulness showed the highest explanatory power of 19% in physical spontaneity and next, improvisation appeared to have additional explanatory power of 2%, so a total of 21% is explained by two variables. Cheerfulness appeared to have the highest explanatory power of 19% in social spontaneity, and improvisation appeared to have additional explanatory power of 5%. Cheerfulness appeared to have the highest explanatory power of 17% in cognitive spontaneity, and as improvisation additionally has explanatory power of 5%, it appeared that a total of 22% is explained. Cheerfulness showed the highest explanatory power of 23% in expression of pleasure and then, improvisation appeared to have additional explanatory power of 4%, so it appeared to have a total of 27% explanatory power. Cheerfulness showed the highest explanatory power of 16% in a sense of humor, and then, imagination showed additional explanatory power of 2% so that cheerfulness and imagination appeared to have a total of 18% explanatory power.
Second, fathers' parental efficacy had an influence on playfulness of children. As a result of carrying out a simple regression analysis to find out if parental efficacy has explanatory power to some extent according to subordinate factors of infant's playfulness, it appeared that a variable that parental efficacy has the largest explanatory power is physical spontaneity and that parental efficacy explains physical spontaneity of 23%. It appeared that expression of pleasure and a sense of humor respectively have 21% explanatory power and social spontaneity has 18% explanatory power, and cognitive spontaneity appeared to show the lowest explanatory power of 17%.
Third, fathers' parenting behaviors had an influence on playfulness of children. When examining stepwise regression analysis results of subordinate factors of infant's playfulness and subordinate factors of fathers' parental behaviors on infant's playfulness, it appeared that reasonable guidance shows 12% explanatory power in physical spontaneity. It appeared that reasonable guidance showed the highest explanatory power of 11% in social spontaneity and then intimacy has additional explanatory power of 4%. Intimacy showed the highest explanatory power of 11% in cognitive spontaneity and reasonable guidance appeared to additionally have high explanatory power of 4%. Reasonable guidance showed the highest explanatory power of 13% in expression of pleasure and then, reactivity appeared to have additional explanatory power of 2%. Reasonable guidance also showed the highest explanatory power of 12% in a sense of humor and then, reactivity appeared to have additional explanatory power of 2%. Reasonable guidance showed explanatory power of 16% in overall points of infant's playfulness, and reactivity appeared to have additional explanatory power of 3%.
Fourth, fathers' playfulness and parental efficacy had an influence on parenting behaviors. Fathers' playfulness and parental efficacy as variables explaining fathers' parenting behaviors are overall clarified to be significant variables, and fathers' parental efficacy has explanatory power of 42% on parenting behaviors and fathers' playfulness appeared to additionally have explanatory power of 4%, so fathers' parenting efficacy appeared to have higher explanatory power regarding fathers' parenting behaviors.
Fifth, the hypothetical model suggested in the present research was proved to be suitable as a verification result of fitness, and as a result of analyzing direct and indirect effects of father-related variables on infant's playfulness, fathers' playfulness and fathers' parenting efficacy appeared to have direct effects of .37 and .51 respectively on fathers' parenting behaviors. Fathers' playfulness, fathers' parenting efficacy and fathers' parenting behaviors appeared ti give overall effects of .66, .31, .19 respectively on infant's playfulness. Fathers' playfulness gave static and direct effects of .62 on infant's playfulness and gave indirect effects of .04 with the mediation of fathers' parenting behaviors. Fathers' parental efficacy gave static and direct effects of .24 on infant's playfulness and gave indirect effects of .07 with the mediation of fathers' parenting behaviors. Fathers' parenting behaviors appeared to give direct effects of .19 on infant's playfulness.
As a research result, father-related variables set in the present research were variables having a significant influence on development of infant's playfulness. These results implies that father-related variables are important in infant's development, and accordingly, it is necessary that fathers arouse attention on a father's role themselves and a more interested measure would be necessary socially.