Analysis of Fathers' Perceptions and Needs for Parental Strengths Among Fathers of Young Children: A Foundational Study for Developing Strength-Based Parent Education Programs

유아기 자녀를 둔 아버지의 부모강점 인식 및 요구도 분석: 강점기반 부모교육 프로그램 개발을 위한 기초연구

Objective: This study aimed to examine fathers' perceptions of parenting strengths, the gaps between the perceived importance and performance of character strengths, and fathers' perceptions of and needs for strengths-based parenting education programs, with the goal of providing foundational data for program development. Methods: A survey was administered to 260 fathers of young children residing in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), and frequency analysis. Results: Fathers generally reported high levels of perceived parenting strengths and placed strong importance on utilizing character strengths in parenting. Across all character strengths, perceived importance was significantly higher than performance. IPA results identified self-regulation and love of learning as areas of high importance but relatively low performance. In addition, fathers expressed a strong need for strengths-based parenting education programs and preferred practice-oriented content focused on everyday parenting situations, delivered through workshop-style, short-to medium-term small-group formats. Conclusion/Implications: These findings provide foundational evidence to inform the key content areas and implementation strategies for developing strengths-based parenting education programs tailored to fathers of young children.