M.A. (Counseling Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

In families which are seen by social agencies the first child of a forced marriage would appear to be rejected to a greater degree than his siblings. This study attempts by examination of 10 cases to discover some reasons for the rejection of the first child, to estimate the kind and degree of rejection and its effect on the child, and finally to suggest some measures which may help the child develop more normally and prevent him being a rejecting parent in his turn. The cases used were taken from the files of the Child Guidance Clinic, the Juvenile Court and the Family Welfare Bureau. They did not all provide such complete information as would be desirable, but represent a cross-section of families coming to the agencies. In every case examined the forced marriage was unhappy and the first child rejected by one or both parents. The rejection was overt when the parent showed direct hostility to the child or covert when it took the form of over-protection or overindulgence to compensate for guilt feelings of the parent. The rejected first child was unable to develop a mature, well-integrated personality; he showed inability, to form satisfactory personal relationships within and without the home. Consequently he developed behavior problems, physical symptoms or habit disorders. The fathers and mothers were rejected by their own parents; their consequent immaturity and unmet needs resulted in the forced marriage and their inability to love and accept the child who was the cause of it. Therefore he, in his turn, was unable to develop normally and is likely to be an inadequate and rejecting parent himself. It should be the aim of social agencies to break the chain of rejection. Case-work treatment of the child may be accompanied by treatment of the parents, where possible, to assist them in meeting their needs and becoming mature persons who can accept and love their first child. Some forced marriage may be prevented by case-work help to the unmarried mother which may aid her in surrendering her baby for adoption. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The purpose of this-thesis is to explore the relationships between (a) the behaviour disorders of a selected group of children who have been referred to the Vancouver Child Guidance Clinic and (b) some of the influences affecting their parents. As an essay in classification and analysis, it is hoped to point the way to further research in the field which will give attention to social work implication. All material was gathered from case records made available by the Child Guidance Clinic. The sample is composed of forty-five boys and girls who were referred by private sources to the clinic between March 1948 and April 1951, and represents approximately one-sixth of all private referrals for that period. The sample was so chosen in respect to age, intelligence and home situation, as to be representatives of the majority of all children referred privately over that period. The children were classified according to the nature of their behaviour disorders, and an attempt was made to depict some measure of the severity and complexity of each child's disorder. The adequacy of the respective parents was evaluated by the use of a schedule and a rating-scale; and the influences affecting parents were categorized and weighted. Comparison was then made between the children's disorders and the limiting influences affecting their parents. The comparisons of the groups reveal many interesting features but the small size of the sample prevents any purely statistical conclusions. A number of features reveal themselves, however. In one sub-group of children, relationship was discernible between mothers who were considered inadequate and a certain kind and severity of behaviour disorders in the child. In another sub-group of children, there were indications of confused or disturbed parental identifications at an early age. Above all, the study emphasized the high incidence of emotional instability among the parents of these children, which points to the need in Vancouver for an adult or family mental health clinic. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Among the methods that have been developed to help parents in their important task of raising mentally healthy children, parent group education is of particular interest to social workers. This thesis examines the essentials of social workers' participation in parent education through the use of group methods. It is based on the writer's training in social work and experience in adult education, and on research into the programmes of a number of social agencies, child guidance centres, children's treatment centres and hospitals, school social services and recreation centres. A range of examples was chosen to show the ways in which social workers were key figures in the parent education projects. The development of parent education on this continent is briefly outlined. Major principles of parent group education are stated, and an analysis is made of the knowledge and skills necessary for professional leadership in this field. It is observed that parent education principles correspond closely to those of social work itself. A good deal of the knowledge and skill required of parent education leaders is actually acquired through social work training. Furthermore, parent group education and social work strive toward the common objective of higher standards of mental health. It would seem, therefore, that social work agencies and social workers should be able to make significant contributions to parent education both directly, through sponsoring such programmes in their own agencies, and indirectly, through co-operating with other similarly-interested organizations and individuals. The programmes selected for study support this assumption. They illustrate the variety of settings in which social workers are participating in parent group education programmes, and reveal similarities and differences in approach and methods. Specific questions relating to principles and methods are proposed as requiring further experimentation and study. The thesis emphasizes the need for coordination and co-operation amongst all professional and lay groups interested in parent education as a method of promoting mental health, and suggests directions for development. It is concluded that social workers can and should participate in parent education programmes, with certain stipulations: before mass programmes are undertaken, careful experimentation on small projects is essential to augment the present limited knowledge of theory and practice, as well as to provide a basis for training workers. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

MASTER OF EDUCATION in the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY of the FACULTY OF EDUCATION at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2006. / The aims of this study are: ~ To pursue a study of relevant literature on the parent-educator partnership. ~ To undertake an empirical investigation concerning parents and educators as partners in the education of the child. ~ To formulate certain recommendations that may serve as guidelines for the establishment of an effective partnership between parents and educators at schools. Research with regard to this study will be conducted as follows: ~ A literature study of available relevant literature. ~ An empirical survey comprising a questionnaire to be completed by educators. Chapter 2 will be a literature review on the parent-educator partnership. Chapter 3 will explain the planning of the empirical research. Chapter 4 will be a presentation and analysis of the research data. Chapter 5 will contain a summary, findings and recommendations.

The purpose of this dissertation was to gain a better understanding of how emerging adult children respond to their parents’ advice, and uncover connections between advice and parent-child relationship satisfaction. Because emerging adults may experience uncertainty as they move toward adulthood, they may reach out to their parental figures when making new or important decisions. The current study took a closer look at the role elements of advice response theory (ART) played in an emerging adult’s decision-making process when asking a parental figure for advice. The study also considered the potential relationship between elements of ART and parent-emerging adult child relationship satisfaction. A total of 503 participants between the ages of 18 to 25 were recruited from a medium-sized Midwestern land grant institution. Participants completed an online survey to measure elements of ART, parent-child relationship satisfaction, and demographic questions. Six hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed. According to the findings of this dissertation, emerging adults consider parental advice characteristics and parent as advisor characteristics when deciding on the quality of the advice, and the intention to implement the advice received from their parental figures. Also, emerging adults reported that elements of ART play a role in parent-emerging adult child relationship satisfaction. Findings highlight that it is important for emerging adults to perceive their parental figures as trustworthy because perceived trustworthiness plays a large role in implementation intention, perceived advice quality, and perceived parent-child relationship satisfaction. Also, advice limitations do not play as large a role as previously expected.

The purpose of this study was to examine the high school teacher's perceptions of parent involvement and how viewpoints differ based on years of experience and the population served. The study consisted of a survey with open-ended questions given to teachers and administrators and other non-classroom instructional personnel at a high socio-economic school and at a low socio-economic school. The surveys were analyzed and data were presented based on the viewpoints of teachers with fewer than six years of experience, between six and fourteen years of experience and greater than fifteen years of experience. Responses were also presented from non-classroom educators such as guidance counselors and administrators. There were five findings emerging from this study. The first finding revealed that teacher perceptions of parent involvement varied between low and high socio-economic schools. Another finding discovered that the group of students being taught may play more of a role in teacher perception of parent involvement than the socio-economic status of the school. The third finding was teacher perceptions of key characteristics of parent involvement don't necessarily align with ways teachers say parents are involved. The next finding revealed that teachers communicate with parents via various forms of technology. The final finding exposed that teachers feel that school related involvement at home is important. / Ed. D.

Parent involvement is as an important contributor to students' academic and social success in school. However, parent involvement at a suburban public K-4 school has lagged, specifically in activities that have been shown to have a positive influence on student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine parents' perceptions about their involvement in school activities as a means of identifying strategies to increase their engagement. A conceptual framework based on Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's motivational constructs for involvement guided this study. The research questions focused on parents' perceptions of their participation, reasons for and against engaging in school activities, and what the school could do to support their involvement. A purposeful sampling method was used to select participants from among 3rd and 4th grade parents. A basic qualitative design was used to capture the insights of 9 parent participants through individual interviews. Emergent themes were identified through open coding, and the findings were developed and checked for trustworthiness through member checking, an audit trail, reflexivity, and rich descriptions. The findings revealed that parents perceived teachers and administrators should welcome their involvement, create events that recognize parent challenges, and engage parent support. A professional development project was created to provide teachers with strategies to develop effective parent-teacher teams. This study has implications for positive social change by providing a structure to increase parent involvement in constructive and purposeful partnerships with teachers and the school. This in turn could positively influence students' academic journey and achievement.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 3, 2008). Directed by Andrew J. Supple; submitted to the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-63).