Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Parenting education'

Since the 1990s the rate of divorce has consistently stayed at a high level within the United States. Almost 50% of all marriages will end in divorce (Coontz, 2006; Strow & Strow, 2006). This continued high rate of divorce has led to an increase in caseloads within the family court system. As a result, more of the court’s time and resources are being used. Courts are unable to handle the influx of cases, meaning families typically have to wait long periods of time before decisions are made about custody or visitation agreements. Therefore, families find themselves stuck in transition of divorce or separation. As a result, families find it difficult to cope with and adjust to the divorce or separation (Deutsch, 2008).

In order to alleviate some of the pressure from the court system, divorce parenting education programs have been created to inform parents about different circumstances experienced during a divorce or separation (Coates, Deutsch, Starnes, Sullivan, & Sydlik, 2004). Many of these programs aim to ease the transition for both children and adults, as well as decrease the amount of relitigation occurring within the court system. Parenting education programs are quickly becoming mandated by certain states and counties in order for final judgment to pass on a divorce or separation (Deutsch, 2008; Geasler & Blaisure, 1998).

Because courts are now mandating parenting education programs and using resources to provide such programs, it is important to ensure effectiveness of parenting education programs. Fortunately, recent program developers have started to research the effectiveness of specific programs. Additionally, new literature assesses different aspects of parenting programs to determine what pieces are necessary for an effective divorce parenting education program. Important aspects of parenting education programs to consider include content, method of delivery, and theoretical foundation. Specific content presented in parenting education programs have been found to be more effective on parenting and rate of relitigation. Additionally, certain methods for presenting the content have been found to be more effective in changing parental behaviors following divorce (Geasler & Blaisure, 1998; Kamniski, Valle, Filene, & Boyle, 2008). With the growing body of literature, courts, hopefully, will be able to determine what divorce parenting education programs are most effective to ensure resources are being spent wisely.

The current study will explore whether a newly revised parenting education program (Children First Parenting Education Program, January 2011 edition) effectively improves parental attitudes, knowledge, and likelihood. Further, the current study will explore whether the Children First Parenting Education Program January 2011 edition has a larger effect on attitudes, knowledge, and likelihood compared to the Children First Parenting Education Program, May 2006 edition. Additionally, the current study will explore whether the newly revised Children First Parenting Education Program, January 2011 edition has a larger effect on the rates of relitigation among parents who attended the program compared to participants who attended the Children First Parenting Education Program, May 2006 edition.

The Responsive Parenting Program curriculum combines recent developments in neuroscience, mindfulness, child development and positive parenting to provide vulnerable families with information, guidance and a group experience designed to support them in adopting a responsive approach to parenting. Parents who have experienced adverse conditions in childhood and continue to experience difficulty in getting their needs met as adults, often have adopted a survival approach to living. It is especially important to support these parents in making sense of their own experience so that they may build the capacity to better understand, nurture and protect their own children.

It is intended that all of the materials for this curriculum will exist in the public domain. In addition to the curriculum handbook, this includes links to recommended video segments, information sheets related to child growth and development, and suggestions for supportive practices to nurture healthy development and relationships.

Teenage pregnancy greatly influences the probability of high school graduation for girls (Ng & Kay, 2012; Solomon-Fears, 2015). Only 51% of women who give birth as teenagers earn a high school diploma by the time they are 22 years old, as compared to 89% of their non-teen-pregnant contemporaries (Ng & Kay, 2012). The United States Department of Education reports that the median income of a person from 18 to 67 years of age in 2012 without a high school degree was about $25,000, as compared to $46,000 with a high school degree (Stark & Noel, 2015). In a lifetime, that amounts to a personal loss of $670,000 because of the lack of a high school diploma and reflects a $250,000 loss to the national economy in reduced tax contributions, higher rates of illegal activity, and higher costs in welfare dependence (Stark & Noel, 2015). The final goal of this study was to create a flow chart to provide suggested support for pregnant and parenting teenagers in South Louisiana high schools to ensure graduation. To accomplish this goal, this qualitative phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of women in South Louisiana who experienced a teenage pregnancy while in high school and went on to earn a high school degree, in relation to: (1) experiences in high school, (2) the effects of their individual attributes on high school experiences, (3) school-provided supports they found to be beneficial, and (4) what they believed to be their greatest support leading to graduation. Nine participants were interviewed, and the findings revealed that women who experienced a teenage pregnancy in South Louisiana and went on to earn a high school degree (1) felt some sense of shame or embarrassment during the pregnancy, (2) experienced a lack of understanding or compassion by school personnel and their peers, (3) if African American, were generally more resilient, (4) had educational aspirations and academic success prior to pregnancy, (5) may have opted to attend an alternative school rather than stay at their base school, and (6) valued connecting with others with similar experiences.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and report the lived experiences of parents of twice exceptional (2e) children, utilizing participatory action research (PAR) methods. The primary question this study sought to answer was how parents of 2e children feel about parenting their children. A total of 20 parents participated in a PAR group and conducted research through telling their own stories, participating in a one-on-one interview, conducting a parenting survey, and developing artifacts for educating others about the characteristics and needs of 2e persons. The duration of this study was 12 months, during which time, the PAR members met monthly for three to four hours per meeting.

Key findings of this study indicate: 2e persons see themselves as a distinct special needs group; there are common characteristics and behaviors among 2e persons; 2e persons are a marginalized community; there is a lack of knowledge about 2e persons among academic, medical, and therapeutic professionals, consequently, parents of 2e children do not feel they can rely on them for support; parents of 2e children feel their children are often rejected and ostracized by others; they struggle to find ways to help their children be accepted by their extended family, community, and society at large; parents of 2e children experience high levels of stress as they work to mitigate societal barriers to their children's success; forming a community of like-minded parents offered the best form of support; while the PAR group realities were different from the idealized model, it offered an appropriate method for gathering data on parenting 2e children, as members felt comfortable researching with their community, rather than being objects of research; PAR group members saw themselves as activists and developed strategies for advocating for 2e persons.

These findings have implications for parents, educators, and medical/therapeutic practitioners, as they serve to illuminate characteristics, issues, and possible solutions for advocating and serving the needs of 2e persons. This study may also serve as a model for further PAR research, as it discusses the reality of the members' PAR experiences, compared with the suggested ideal PAR methods found in the literature.

Parenting stress (PS) is a phenomenon experienced by all parents to varying degrees due to the demands of meeting a child?s needs. This distinct type of stress is caused by an imbalance between the perceived demands of parenting and the perceived coping resources available to parents. The construct of twice-exceptionality (2E) is defined as the co-occurrence of giftedness and disability or possessing both high cognitive abilities and at least 1 of 13 potential disabilities identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. The purpose of this study was to understand how PS is experienced by parents of children who have been identified with 2E. The theoretical perspectives of stress appraisal, coping, and attribution guided this study and provided a framework for understanding the lived experiences of parents and the meaning they ascribe to these experiences. The goals of the study were accomplished through in-depth interviews with 13 participants, an extensive literature review, and reflective journaling. Interview data were analyzed using the phenomenological techniques of epoche, bracketing, horizontalization, and imaginative variation, and several relevant themes and subthemes were developed. High levels of PS described by the parents in this study indicate that further research is indicated for better understanding and serving the significant needs of this population. The social implications of this research include raising awareness of PS and 2E; increasing the potential for positive outcomes for children and families; and addressing misconceptions concerning giftedness, gender bias in the perceptions of parental roles, and the impact of PS on family systems.

This paper examines the work of older Black women who used collaborative inquiry to process issues around living with adult children with extraordinary needs. The co-researchers met four times over the course of several months exploring many facets—economic, psychological, interpersonal, and practical;—of domestic life when two sets of related adults (older parent and adult child) cohabit. Our work involved cycles of action and reflection, using conversations, journal writing, art, poetry, storytelling, and music.

Three significant outcomes resulted from these cycles of action and reflection. First, participants grew in their commitment to and practice of self-care. Secondly, participants focused on seeking the good in the other. Thirdly, participants grew in their skills of intentional listening and releasing the outcome.

In the context of twenty-first century leadership, this focus on parenting has implications for any type of leadership, because the issues addressed and the skills involved have many areas of overlap.

Latinos, the largest minority group in the United States, have the lowest level of college degree attainment relative to the total population. Education is often an indicator for future prospects in society. The present study examined how different parenting styles among Latino families affect individual's development in terms of self-efficacy and academic achievement as an adult. The study included 199 participants between the ages of 25-79. The results indicated a significant negative relationship between permissive parenting and the participants' level of education. The results also indicated a positive correlation between both parents' level of education and the participants' level of education. Additionally, the study found that later generation Latinos reported higher levels of education than first generation. The implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.