Many cross-cultural studies have been criticized for imposing instruments on peoples of other cultures as if the constructed measure were universal. This study attempts to establish a cross-cultural equivalence of measurement and construct validity in an examination of the functions of social networks in Zimbabwean, Chinese, and American…

The International Resilience Project was launched to determine the role of parents, teachers, other adults and children themselves in promoting resilience in children. In this study, 589 children and their families or caregivers participated; most children were 9-11 years old, with children ages birth to 6 years represented also. Subjects reported…

Providing effective parent education for teen parents can be a challenge for educators. This guide for cooperative extension facilitators provides workshop outlines for teen parents regarding their social world, infant and toddler development, and health and safety. The guide's introduction discusses the challenges of parenting, the Eriksonian…

The National Center for Children in Poverty(NCCP)has developed a series of issue briefs on the effects of welfare reform on children living in poverty. This issue brief is based in part on "Map and Track: State Initiatives to Promote Responsible Fatherhood," a report supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and prepared by NCCP in…

According to the philosophy of John Dewey, the goal of education is to provide students with an increased capacity for having worthwhile experiences. This paper draws on Dewey's writings to develop a theory of worthwhile experience, termed "idea-based experience." A model is proposed of how individuals are apprenticed into having an…

Many current social and political developments, such as no-fault divorce and voluntary single motherhood, have systematically eroded the father's role in American family life. In the face of these and other challenges to the traditional concept of fatherhood, an essential question is raised: Why would an American man still want to be a social…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module describes what sexual abuse is, why sexual abuse occurs, and how counties report and investigate cases of alleged sexual abuse. The module's learning objectives address: (1) ways of improving the child placement and…

Originally passed in 1975, the Education for Handicapped Children Act (EHA or P.L. 94-142) provided an unprecedented legislative definition of parent involvement. Congress mandated that parents be included in the educational decision-making process concerning handicapped children. This paper summarizes parent involvement as defined by the EHA,…

A project explored the possibility of creating a collaborative approach to parent involvement with their children's education. Participants in the family literacy program were 19 African-American adolescent mothers from low-income backgrounds whose children attended an early intervention program. Parents' beliefs about learning and literacy were…

This paper describes a practicum that aimed to increase black students' participation in extracurricular activities and school clubs. The lack of participation resulted in black students' feelings of alienation and negative attitudes toward the school. The program's goals were: (1) to increase the number of black students participating in…

Using an interdisciplinary perspective that combines research in psychology, sociology, and anthropology, this book examines the composition and role of the family with respect to young children, adolescents, and adult children of elderly parents. Following a preface discussing the major themes of the book--parent-child attachment, transitions and…

Incidence of parental divorce remains at record levels. Studies estimate that 45% of all children born since 1970 will spent an average of six childhood years in a single-parent home as a result of divorce. This study examined the relationship between visitation practices of non-custodial parents and the children's coping resources (self-esteem…

Data from the National Survey of Children (Waves 1 and 3), a longitudinal survey of 2,000 children who were between the ages of 7 and 11 during the first wave in 1976 and between the ages of 16 and 20 during the third wave in 1987, were analyzed to examine the impact of paternal involvement during childhood as well as the ongoing father-child…

The mother of a 16-year-old daughter with autism offers a parental perspective on coping with a child's disability. The paper emphasizes that through direct interaction with the child and the child's teacher and through taking an active role in the child's activities and achievements, the child's potential can be discovered and the child can be…

This booklet was developed by early education teachers to help parents teach their children values necessary for learning and for living. The introduction identifies six lifelong values, discusses the important role played by parents in teaching these values, and offers a checklist of positive ways parents interact with their children. Each of the…