Examination over the perceptions of parents who have children between the ages 3 and 6 towards paternity role and view of the adequacy of paternity role

The starting point of this research is to understand whether the dynamics related to mother have any effect on the role and responsibility sharing concerning child, distribution of duties and fatherhood role, and what the fathers' views about these dynamics are. In this context, the study aims to investigate the perceptions of parents who have children between the ages of 3-6 and their views on the adequacy of paternity role. The study is designed as a mixed method research. Quantitative and qualitative research methods are used in parallel and triangulation design is preferred. The quantitative research population of the study consists of parents of children aged 3-6 years attending independent kindergartens affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the central districts of Ankara. The sample of the quantitative research is determined by multi-stage cluster sampling method. In this context, data are collected from 800 parents including 400 mothers and 400 fathers. The qualitative research sample of the study is determined by snowball technique, one of the purposive sampling methods, and 10 mothers and 10 fathers who have children between the ages of 3-6 are included in the study. Demographic Information Form and Paternity Role Perception Scale are used to collect quantitative data. Semi-structured interview form is used for qualitative data collection. T-test and one-way analysis of variance are used for the analysis of quantitative data, and content analysis is used for the evaluation of qualitative data. In the quantitative step of the study, it is observed that there is no difference between the general perception of paternity role of the parents. In addition, it is observed that there is no difference in the perception of paternity role according to the age of mothers and fathers and mothers' working status, while it is observed that there is a difference according to educational status, income level, occupation and number of children. In the qualitative step of the research, it is seen that the parents interpret the paternity role of fathers in a similar way to today's understanding of fatherhood, while there are themes that they define under the influence of the past paternity figure. The findings obtained in line with the quantitative and qualitative data are discussed and interpreted within the scope of the related literature. Keywords: perception of paternity role, family, parent, early childhood period