A case study of a South African workplace illustrated how workplace learning and experience of team culture influenced changes in workers' family life and community participation. Results showed how social capital is generated from within for the benefit of civil society. (Contains 35 references.) (SK)

Discusses a theoretical rationale for studying family narratives as indicators of family functioning and influence on child development. Considers the development of a multidimensional coding scheme for these narratives. Presents analyses conducted across four study sites, including data on interrater reliability, confirmatory factor analysis, and…

First semester college students (N=139) were surveyed to assess the role of family structure, family conflict, family coping, and individual coping on adjustment to college. Family conflict and family coping were related to adaptation to college. Individual coping also significantly correlated with adaptation to college. Results support a…

In this article, the mother of 12-year-old son with autism shares two stories that highlight how her son keeps her humble and how asking for help mutually benefits the giver and receiver. It discusses the need to tell people your needs and to invite them to participate in your life. (CR)

In-depth interviews with four university-based educators revealed that they had limited childhood experiences of diverse cultures. Their professional experiences of diversity led them to the following principles: maintain respect, appreciate other perspectives, commit to working together, and persist even in an unsupportive environment. (Contains…

This paper reviews research on the positive perceptions and experiences of other members in families with children with developmental disabilities. It also proposes a model for further study based on the hypothesis that positive perceptions function as strategies that help families adapt to or cope with the experiences of raising a child with…

Survey results from 98 family and consumer sciences administrators showed they were predominantly female (89%), white (87%), and employed in public institutions (80%). Both genders reported experience of bias. They felt rewarded by the social significance of their work. One-fourth aspired to higher levels. (SK)

This article reports the findings of a case study of sibling interaction between a young man with Down syndrome and his three brothers. Within the family, a range of sibling roles and of activities for the target student compensated for his limited participation in sibling play activities. Outside the family, the need for peer facilitation and…

Considers, in this "eclectic" review of research, three complementary ways in which the nature of the connection between homes and school can be problematized: (1) congruence of family life with the agenda of schooling; (2) intimacy, or depth of understanding, between teachers and parents; and (3) sociocultural productivity of the interaction…

Food safety is a significant issue in the United States and yet minimal research has been done on the inclusion of food safety in secondary school curricula. This study examined the feasibility of including food safety in Iowa FCS middle and secondary classes. Teachers reported food safety was important; only a few believed students were…

Although the family has traditionally been the place for children to learn values, respect, and ethics, today family and consumer sciences (FACS) educators are required to deliver these types of lessons every day. The author of this brief article promotes the teaching of ethics in junior high school, believing that the emotional and physical…

Grounded in the naturalistic paradigm, a mixed-method research design (survey questionnaire, n=65; and interview, n=16) was used to explore the nature and benefits of, and constraints to, family recreation in families that included children with developmental disability. Statistical analyses were conducted on the quantitative data, while key theme…

Issues in child policy are often obscured by symbolic debates about the nature of child development and family life. There is a need for greater care in the identification of the interests at stake and articulation of the normative foundation for various policies and programs. The Convention on the Rights of the Child carries an implicit…

This study examined the influence of challenge-based recreation on the collective efficacy of families with at-risk adolescents. Thirty-four families participated in one of three experimental groups and a control group. Collective family recreation efficacy and conflict resolution efficacy increased for families in all three recreation contexts.…

This paper examines the apparently paradoxical notion that women "choose" part-time work when it is consistently documented as being less preferential in employment terms, conditions and prospects when compared to full-time work. Forming a dialogue with Hakim's (2000) preference theory, it is proposed here that four dimensions--care…