The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between kindergarten children's classroom behavior and family unit type. Three dimensions of classroom behavior were examined: temperament, socialization, and task-orientation. Family unit types were: nuclear, single-parent, and remarried.The sample consisted of ninety-eight subjects divided, according to family unit types, as follows: nuclear - forty, single-parent - thirty-one, and remarried - twenty-seven. There were fifty-three males and forty-five females. Subjects were enrolled in kindergarten classrooms of two public school corporations in Indiana.Null hypotheses were formulated to examine kindergarten children's classroom behavior, temperament, socialization, and task-orientation, as functions of family unit type. A multivariate and univariate analysis of variance, with statistical control for the sex factor, was used to test the null hypotheses.The dependent variables, classroom behavior, temperament, socialization, and task-orientation, were measured by the teacher-rated Classroom Behavior Inventory. Data identifying the independent variable, family unit type, and the control variable, sex, were collected on the Personal Data Form.An examination of the statistical analyses yielded the following results:No significant difference in kindergarten children's classroom behavior was found among children of nuclear, -single-parent, and remarried families (p<.4589).Due to an insignificant F-ratio on the multivariate analysis of variance, univariate analyses of variance could not be performed.Results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference in classroom behavior among kindergarten children of nuclear, single-parent, and remarried families. Results of the sex variance analysis suggested that sex differences existed relative to task-orientation.Although differences in classroom behavior existed they were not caused by family unit type. Concerns of educators that children of non-nuclear families deem special attention were not supported. Children in single-parent and remarried families evidenced classroom behavior similar to that of nuclear family children.

AFRIKAANS: In hierdie studie is daar primêr vasgestel op watter wyse die skool 'n bydrae kan lewer om gesinslewe in Suid-Afrika te bevorder. Tegnologiese, industriële en ekonomiese ontwikkeling het daartoe gelei dat ouers dikwels nie hulle opvoedingsverant-woordelikheid na behore nakom nie, sodat die skool in 'n toenemende mate ook opvoedingstake soos vredes-, verkeersveiligheids-, geslags- en gesinsopvoeding moet oomeem. Die belangrike rol van die skool as 'n instansie wat in diens van die gemeenskap bestaan en wat ook as aanvullende ouer vir die kind moet dien, het baie duidelik in die studie na vore gekom. Die feit dat die skool daarom ook die gesinsproblematiek in die samelewing behoort aan te spreek, het, tesame met die feit dat die Interim Kernsillabus vir Voorligting emstige tekorte toon en onvoldoende leiding aan die opvoeder gee, aanleiding gegee tot die primêre navorsingsvraag: Hoe moet 'n Gesinsopvoedingsprogram vir leerders daaruit sien om hulle voor te berei vir verryking van hulle huidige asook hulle toekomstige persoonlike en gesinslewe? In Hoofstuk 2 is daar deur 'n situasie-analise 'n studie gemaak van die eietydse gesinsproblematiek. Die kwesbaarheid van die moderne gesin het 'n sterk kontras gevorm met die hegte pre-industriële gesin. Die wyse waarop maatskaplike druk en tegnologiese vooruitgang bygedra het tot die ontaarding van en funksieverskuiwing in die eietydse gesinslewe, het bygedra tot groter begrip vir die disfunksionering van die gesin van die een-en-twintigste eeu. Deur 'n studie van die manifestasies van bovermelde disfunksionering in die gesin is gesinspatologieë geïdentifiseer. In Hoofstuk 3 is Gesinsopvoeding vanuit internasionale perspektief bestudeer. Uit die studie het dit duidelik geword dat Gesinsopvoedingsprogramme in die buiteland ook daarop gemik is om sowel die persoonlike as die gesinslewe van die kind te bevorder. Die Histories-Opvoedkundige studie van Gesinsopvoeding in Suid-Afrika, word in Hoofstuk 4 beskryf. Die Interim Kernsillabus vir Voorligting van die Departement van Onderwys is ook bestudeer en tekorte en gebreke is geïdentifiseer. Een van die opvallendste gebreke in die vroeë sillabusse vir Gesinsopvoeding op Nasionale vlak, is die miskenning van die multikulturele behoeftes van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. Die ontwerp van 'n leerprogram vir Gesinsopvoeding in skole is in Hoofstuk 5 gedoen. Gesinsopvoeding is op wetenskaplike wyse en ooreenkomstig pedagogiese grondstrukture, gefundeer. Die mees resente Onderwyswetgewing en beleidsdokument wat betrekking kan hê op die kurrikulering van 'n leerprogram vir Gesinsopvoeding is in ag geneem en 'n uitgebreide studie van Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderwys en riglyne vir opvoeders is verskaf aan die hand waarvan leergeleenthede ooreenkomstig die Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderrigbenadering en die behoeftes van elke besondere klasgroep beplan kan word. 'n Leerprogram vir die Grondslagfase, Intermediêre Fase, Senior Fase en Verdere Onderwys en Opleidingsband is ontwerp. Die onderskeie temas is verbesonder met die oog op die vervulling van die Kritieke Uitkomstes en Spesifieke Uitkomstes. Die Gesinsopvoedingsprogram is ontwerp om aan die eise en behoeftes van die gemeenskap, soos in die situasie-analise geopenbaar, asook aan die vereistes wat deur onderwysowerhede gestel word, byvoorbeeld die eis van Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderwys te voldoen. Die totale ontwerp is uitgevoer ooreenkomstig wetenskaplike vereistes soos daargestel deur 'n verantwoordelike kurrikuleringsproses. ENGLISH: This study primarily aimed to determine how the school could contribute towards promoting family life in South Africa. Technological, industrial and economic development led to parents often not fulfilling their responsibility to bring up their children adequately. This resulted in the school progressively taking over upbringing tasks such as teaching traffic safety, peace, sex education and family education. The important role of the school as an institution serving society and its complementary parental role emerged very clearly in this study. The fact that the school should address family problems in society, together with serious shortcomings and inadequate guidance to the educator in the Interim Core Syllabus for Guidance, gave rise to the formulation of the primary research problem: What should a Family Education Programme for learners be like in order to prepare them for the enrichment of their present and their future personal and family life? Chapter 2 presented a study of contemporary family problems by way of a situation analysis. The vulnerability of the family formed a sharp contrast with the close pre¬industrial family. The way in which social pressure and economic development contributed to the degeneration and shift in function of contemporary family life, contributed to greater understanding of the disfunctioning of the family in the twentieth century. Through a study of the manifestations of the above-mentioned disfunctionings in the family, family pathologies were identified. In Chapter 3 Family Education was studied from international perspective. It became apparent that Family Education Programmes abroad were aimed at promoting both the personal and the family life of the child. In Chapter 4 the historical educational study of Family Education in South Africa was described. The Interim Core Syllabus for Guidance of the Department of Education was also studied and shortcomings and flaws were identified. One of the most conspicuous flaws in the earlier syllabuses for Family Education on national level was the disregard for multicultural needs of the South African society. In Chapter 5 a learning programme for Family Education in schools was developed. It was based on scientific principles and founded according to pedagogic ground structures. The most recent legislation concerning education and policy documents regarding the curriculation of a learning programme for Family Education were taken into account and an extended study of Outcomes-Based Education was undertaken and applied to Family Education. Examples and guidelines for educators were provided according to which learning opportunities in accordance with Outcomes-Based Education and the needs of every particular class group may be planned. Learning programmes were designed for the Foundation, Intermediate, Senior Phases and the Further Education and Training Band. Different themes were specified with a view to meeting the Critical and the Specific Outcomes. The Family Education Programme was designed to fulfill the demands and needs of society as revealed in the situation analysis as well as the demands made by education authorities, for example, the demand for Outcomes-Based Education. The entire design was executed according to the demands made by a responsible curriculum process. / Thesis (PhD (Educational Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / Unrestricted