Thesis (M.A.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-79).

The class structure of Britain has changed considerably since the 1970s. The gap between the rich and poor has grown, and many individuals can no longer be classified into traditional middle- and working-class categories. Despite polarisation and fragmentation, however, social class has continued to shapes individuals’ daily lives and life-chances. There are distinct class inequalities in education and leisure that appear to be resistant to intervention. Governments and other public organisations have invested considerable funds and deployed various policies, but individuals from affluent backgrounds continue to do better in the education system and be more active in their leisure time than individuals from deprived backgrounds. Academics have also turned their attention to class inequalities in education and leisure, especially of late. Research indicates that such inequalities emerge during early childhood and remain through youth and into adulthood. This, along with evidence of the limited effectiveness of interventions delivered through schools, has made one thing clear: to explain the production and reproduction of class inequalities in education and leisure and do something about them through policy, researchers and governments must look to the family. The ways in which parents from different social classes are involved and invest in their children’s education and leisure have been researched quite extensively. However, the findings in many of the studies are un-integrated and de-contextualised. In addition, much of the research is deductive – academics have tended to test theories and the significance particular family variables and processes. This thesis, therefore, set out to produce a grounded theory of class-specific patterns of parenting in relation to children’s education and leisure. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a case study of parents and children from a small city in the north-west of England. Two main social classes emerged out of the case study, a group tentatively described as an ‘under-class’ and a middle-class divided into fractions. It was found that social class impacted upon several areas of family life, and differences in these areas of family life clustered together to form class-specific patterns of parenting. The under-class pattern of parenting was conceptualised as ‘essential assistance’. It conveys the present-centred and basic involvement of the parents – they did not think a great deal about the future but did what was necessary to keep their children up with their peers on a day-to-day basis. The middle-class pattern of parenting was conceptualised as ‘concerted cultivation’. It conveys the forward-thinking and deliberate nature of the parents’ involvement. Also, the meticulous lengths to which the parents went – every aspect of their children’s development was open to pruning. The middle-class parents were involved in their children’s education and leisure in similar ways, but to different degrees. Thus, concerted cultivation can be regarded as gradational. Class-specific patterns of parenting can be linked to the production of class-related patterns of inequality. Through essential assistance and concerted cultivation, under-class and middle-class parents condition their children to think and act in particular ways. More specifically, they furnish their children with different skills, preferences and mentalities. A detailed discussion of the theoretical and policy implications of these patterns of parenting is provided in the conclusion to the thesis.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas State University Libraries

This thesis explores how and why literature and reading, as a practice within Christian families, can play an influential role in the spiritual formation of children. The first part presents a picture of Christian parenting, drawn from three theologians: Karl Barth on parents and children, based in the doctrines of creation and Christology, and the I/Thou relationship; the Roman Catholic doctrine of family as ‘domestic church’, as discussed by Florence Caffrey Bourg; and Stanley Hauweras, largely concerning his emphases of a Christian ethic, the narrative structure of life, and the Body of Christ as essential for raising children. The second part moves to investigate philosophy and literary theory, in order to show how literature is formative, from three philosophers: Richard Eldridge sees it as intellectually educational as one moves between autonomy and embeddedness in moral personhood; Martha Nussbaum argues that it is emotionally experiential, returning emotions, imagination and particulars to a central part of the search for a good life; and Wayne C. Booth presents it as an educating experience, in which one should fully engage with the work, reflect upon it, and share one’s assessments in discussion. In the last chapter and conclusion, four major themes are discussed—individuals in community, narrativity, the good life of faith, and open closure—in order to bring into clearer focus the ways literature and its formative nature can enhance the raising of children in faith, the task of Christian parents.

"The general purpose of the study is to provide an instrument for evaluating physical education. This will aid in determining where a school is now in its physical education program and be instrumental in pointing the way toward future progress. No effort is made to determine a high or low numerical score. Specifically, the study strives to point out the composites of a well-balanced physical education program: its philosophy; what it embraces in the way of equipment, facilities and program materials; and the values to be found in such a program. The need of a well-balanced program of physical education in the elementary school is emphasized for the sake of improving the program and increasing the contribution it can make to the total school program"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "May 19, 1952." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Grace Fox, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62).