This theory denies that humans are innately aggressive and that frustration automatically leads to aggression. Instead Bandura (1973) argues that aggression is learned in two basic ways: from observing aggressive models; from receiving and/or expecting payoffs following aggression. The payoffs may be in the form of: stopping aggression by others; getting praise or status or some other goal by being aggressive; getting self-reinforcement and private praise; reducing tension. There is no doubt that aggression pays off. Parents who yell and threaten punishment get results. The child who hits the hardest gets the toy. The brother who is willing to be the most vicious in a fight wins. It is not necessary that the aggressor be especially mean to get his/her way. The slightest overt hint of anger can communicate. I'm sure you recognize the old nature-nurture issue in these discussions. The difficulty, as I see it, is that both sides over-simplify and want to claim all the influence, i.e. on the one hand, the genes-instincts-hormones (biological determinism) theorists imply that hostility is "human nature." Indeed, 60% of Americans buy this idea, saying "there will always be wars, it is human nature." How sad that we are not better educated. No wonder the U.S. has used military force 150 times since 1850. There is, of course, a lot of fighting between countries, tribes, religions, spouses, and parents and children. But there is no evidence that we humans have inherited more of a... [to full text]

No description available.

<p> The qualitative multiple case study adds to the previous research regarding the orientation thoughts, context, and understandings of teachers, parents, and prekindergarten administrators when investigating parental involvement in prekindergarten. Teachers in preschools are encouraged to find ways to involve parents for higher levels of student achievement. To address the needs of improving parent participation in prekindergarten, teachers and administrators need parent information on their willingness to participate or not. In order for a school to change strategies, staff members of the organization need to understand the problem which may motivate the need for change. In this study, teachers, parents, and administrators among three prekindergarten programs share their thoughts, beliefs, and views to define the problem of parental involvement in prekindergarten. The research questions asked: Why are some parents more involved than others with their children in prekindergarten? How do parents perceive influencers which invoke their involvement? How does prekindergarten curriculum drive parent engagement? The qualitative multiple case study will aid in understanding parent perceptions about effective actions taken by schools to improve the performance of prekindergarten children. The prekindergarten stage for children includes emotional and developmental challenges that can impose hardship during kindergarten entry and beyond. </p><p>

Thesis (Ph.D.(Anatomy))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> In Guam, the Chamoru have weathered centuries of change in the political and educational arenas. This study explored ways parents assisted their children at home and in school to understand the perspectives and approaches of parents in Guam. The sample consisted of 10 Chamoru parents. The purpose of this study was to address the question of how these parents define and enact involvement in their elementary-aged children&rsquo;s academic lives. This qualitative multi-case study included interviews, and a majority of the sample was from rural rather than urban settings. Findings revealed parents being involved with both outside and inside of school activities.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation served two purposes. The first purpose was to examine the relationships between the two dimensions of family communication patterns (i.e., conversation orientation and conformity orientation) and four student classroom communication behaviors (i.e., out-of-class communication, in-class oral participation, instructional dissent, and students&rsquo; motives to communicate with their instructors). The second purpose of this dissertation was to investigate academic resilience as a mediator in the relationship between family communication patterns and student classroom communication behaviors. It was discovered that students&rsquo; family conversation orientation was associated positively with their oral participation and the relational, functional, participatory, and excuse-making motives to communicate with instructors. Conversation orientation was associated negatively with vengeful dissent. Students&rsquo; conformity orientation was positively associated with their use of vengeful dissent and the relational, participatory, excuse-making, and sycophantic motives to communicate with instructors. It was also discovered that conformity orientation moderated the relationship between conversation orientation and academic resilience. Additionally, a conditional indirect effect was discovered in the relationship between conversation orientation and the functional motive to communicate with instructors through academic resilience, as it was conditional upon levels of conformity orientation. These results and implications were discussed in light of existing research findings on family communication patterns, academic resilience, and students&rsquo; classroom communication behaviors. The results of this dissertation should be interpreted with caution due to the structural validity issues of the instruments and the data collection procedures.</p><p>

<p> In 2011, the Head Start Office introduced the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework to all Head Start programs (Department of Health and Human Services, 2011a). This framework was developed to increase parent involvement in getting children ready for kindergarten. The goal of the framework was to provide technical resources and skills to improve the parent involvement level in Head Start parent involvement activities. The goal of this study is to explore the perception of the role of the father and Head Start programs&rsquo; father involvement facts at eight selected Head Start programs. </p><p> Interview, survey, and activity observation were used. Specifically, the Paternal Involvement in Child Care Index (PICCI) score and father/father figures&rsquo; demographic information, family/community coordinator interview answers were gathered from the Head Start programs that participated in the study. Three statistical techniques, independent <i>t</i>-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and multiple-regression were used for quantitative data analysis, and qualitative data was generalized into a flow chart and a father involvement model based on Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s ecological system theory. </p>

The successful development of children in the early childhood years is facilitated by positive interrelationships within the child's ecosystem. This ecosystem is composed of the family and home environment, and the schools, child care centers, and teachers involved with the child's education and care. However, the educational literature reports conflicts between teachers and parents over the education and guidance of children in the United States throughout this century. The misunderstanding and confusion surrounding the different perspectives of teachers and parents can be problematic for the child's growth and development, and can jeopardize communication between the school and the home. Clarification of the similarities and differences between the teacher and parent roles will add to our understanding of these multiple perspectives, as they influence the child, and will suggest ways to improve teacher preparation with regard to parent and family communication. One direct way of getting data on the complementary and conflicting aspects of the parenting and teaching roles is to study women who experience them simultaneously, that is who teach their own child in an early childhood classroom. This study uses phenomenological interview data and a developmental assessment of self-knowledge to gather more information concerning the complex dynamics of the teacher and mother roles. The data collection proceeded in three parts. First, a written questionnaire designed to assess self-knowledge level of teacher/mothers was administered. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten of the survey respondents, all of whom taught their own child in an early childhood group setting. The interview protocol focused on each participant's personal background as a teacher and a mother, her experience as a 'teacher called mommy', and the importance and meaning of that experience to her as a teacher and as a mother. The interviews were transcribed and edited into a profile of each participant. Profiles were coded for common themes and issues across participants. The third phase involved sharing the themes in a Focus Group session with the interview participants. They considered the relevance and salience of the themes in light of their own experiences and made recommendations for teachers, parents, administrators, and future 'teachers called mommy'. The findings point to common themes within the experience of the 'teacher called mommy', and indicate a range of experiences within each theme. Developmental analysis of the self-knowledge levels of the participants is used to group the responses within each of the themes, and provides a helpful model for understanding the variations within each theme. Recommendations suggest strategies to facilitate parent and teacher communication in general, and more specifically to supporting the simultaneous dual role situation of 'teacher called mommy'.

<p> This study examined the experiences of bilingual parents who have a child with a disability, during two points in the special education process, eligibility and IEP. This study was designed to interpret parents&rsquo; experiences using Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and Social Dominance Theory (Sidanius &amp; Pratto, 1999) in order to draw conclusions as to if parents provide informed consent. </p><p> The population included nine parents of students with disabilities. The parents all identified as Hispanic, native Spanish speakers, and as a primary caretaker of the child with a disability. Basic qualitative research (Merriam, 2009) was conducted, and study data was collected by a semi-structured interview protocol. The interviews were conducted by the researcher, or a qualified Spanish speaker if needed. Data was transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative analysis to determine emerging themes. </p><p> The study&rsquo;s results provided evidence on parents&rsquo; perceptions on the special education process impact their provision to provide informed consent. Parents perceived they were involved in the special education process, they used relationships with others to find support in the special education process, and they perceived barriers to participating in the special education process. Analysis of these findings on parental perceptions during the IEP process reveal that bilingual parents are not providing informed consent. Recommendations that can be implemented at a teacher, school, or policy level are made.</p>

<p> The advocacy of parent involvement, specifically by k-8 (elementary and middle school) administrators will be examined through the use of qualitative research method which will entail a thorough and immense review of the body of literature on this subject matter. The body of literature will cover the significance of parent involvement in various settings, such as in the home and in the classroom, and the significance to teachers, administrators, and students. The political components of parent involvement advocacy will be introduced and discussed in detail and additionally, the relationships between administrators, teachers, parents, and students will be examined and discussed. The data collection for this study will be conducted through the lens of a phenomenological approach. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect and impact that k-8 school administrators have on the implementation of parent engagement programs. Therefore, this will determine the success of parent involvement initiatives to promote parents as leaders in children&rsquo;s academic careers. explained. It will be explained through the examination of administrators who are or are not advocating for the implementation of parent engagement programs that will essentially allow parents to be involved in their children&rsquo;s academic careers in and outside of the classroom environment. The study will seek to discover the strategies used by administrators, challenges they face, and how success is measured. Administrators will also be asked for anecdotal recommendations for others in the field looking to implement similar programs.</p><p>