Photocopy of typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen S. Myers-Bowman / Walter R. Schumm / We live in an era of constant communication, where Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are part of the technology revolution that has significantly altered our lives and means of communication. Adolescents are quick adopters of these sites; they spend a lot of their daily time interacting via these sites. Most parents in the United States strive to understand the purpose and function behind their children’s use of these technologies. This study is aimed to explore the Saudi mothers’ experiences with their adolescents in a different culture and country. The study focused on exploring the experiences, concerns, social and technical challenges, and strategies of Saudi mothers in the United States by using qualitative methodology. A snowball strategy was used through specific Saudi student groups and organizations in the United States. The participants recruited were Saudi mothers (N=13) who had adolescents (their ages are between 10- and 17-years-old). The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed in light of symbolic interaction theory. The findings revealed some benefits of using SNSs among adolescents such as learning new languages or practicing the adolescent's native language. On the other hand, the findings also showed great concern among mothers and a lot of challenges about their adolescents’ use of SNSs. Also, the findings showed the roles of these mothers to protect, advise, and support their children regarding the use of SNSs. Mothers confirmed that their adolescents using SNSs without control or supervision may cause a lot of problems that affect adolescents, parents, and the relationships between them.

The risk factors associated with intergenerational transmission of poverty have been well established within Family Science literature for decades. Multiple efforts have been extended at the community level to meet needs, however, few have been successful in breaking the cycle of poverty within families. In 2007, local civic leaders spent two years studying and comparing the efforts of surrounding service organizations and their impact on the multigenerational cycle of poverty in a metropolitan city in South Georgia. In 2011, findings lead to the creation of a unique family life education program that engaged families residing in inner-city neighborhoods to help family members with parenting skills. The design of the program focuses on helping families create safe, language-rich, interactive family environments for their children. The intention of this program is to enable family members to effectively serve as their children’s first teachers and prepare their preschool children for entry into kindergarten, however this program has also begun to impacted the community through the creation of leadership tracks for attendees who have shifted from learner to leader. With each year, participants lead the way to adding program elements, such as transportation, baby showers, and vision screening, to reach the needs of the community members and increase enrollment. This presentation will highlight the family-centric education model and data summary to date. Trust- and rapport-building along with empowering families and ultimately impacting the whole community will be emphasized as agents of change. This presentation will also include an overview of the history of this program and will discuss its unique attributes that has brought together people from across the community. The guiding principles of trust and respect among participants are central to all discussions, which has been found to be critical for the success of a program (Wiley & Ebata, 2004; Ballard & Taylor, 2012). This presentation will provide direction on how to empower participants by strengthening their voice in the program planning process. Insight into how this program can be replicated in areas across the United States will be discussed. In Fall 2017, an analysis and summary of previously collected data began and additional methodologies were added to better understand the quantifiable impact of the program thus far. Preliminary data analyses on participation revealed that from August 2013 to Summer 2017, which included more than 50 Saturday trainings, totaled 2,890 attendees. Each Saturday training averaged 60 learners with this increasing across time. The data collected in Fall 2017 provided more in-depth demographic information as well as more consistent pre-post evaluations of each training session. Data will be discussed to provide interesting insights into participant learning and the unique population being served. Data from the pilot through Fall 2017 will be presented confirming that through targeted outreach and resources, communities can be empowered.

Hundreds of family life education (FLE) websites are now available on the Internet, allowing individuals and families unprecedented access to FLE information. Evaluation is critical to ensuring the quality of and improving FLE websites, yet few FLE website evaluations have been conducted. This study formatively evaluated a new family life education website, called Forever Families (http://www.foreverfamilies.net or http://foreverfamilies.byu.edu), assessing website utilization using Web-based software, and receiving visitor feedback through the use of an online survey. Quantitative survey items assessed knowledge gains, how interesting the content was, usefulness, attractiveness, ease of use of the website, whether or not the site met visitors' needs, and to what extent the website led visitors to reconsider former attitudes and decide to make changes in their lives. The researcher sought to discover whether there were statistical differences in participant ratings by demographic variables. Open-ended items requested further information to assist the researcher in understanding the quantitative responses. Statistics compiled by Web-based software revealed that the website was highly utilized by individuals throughout the world. Participant ratings of the website and responses to open-ended items revealed the website was well received and had a positive impact on the participants. Website ratings did not substantially vary by participant characteristics, except for education level and ethnicity. Participants provided many helpful suggestions for website improvement.

Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of the North, 1997 / Refer to the document / HSRC (Human Science Research Council)

The study's purpose was to determine if participants reported that booster sessions following a stepfamily education course were effective. Agencies in northern Utah that provide services to low-income (including minorities) families were used to recruit a sample of 487 males and 560 females. Participants were required to be in a relationship that formed a remarriage or to have children from a previous relationship, forming a stepfamily. Booster sessions were educational meetings that occurred four to six weeks after the completion of the stepfamily education course. Intervention theory states that as protective factors are implemented through prevention education they lessen the effects of risk factors in participants' lives. Booster sessions were focused on reiterating protective factors taught in the stepfamily course material and served as a protective factor through offering continued support to participants. A self-report measure was used at the completion of the booster session. Participants were asked if the booster session was worthwhile (fun, educational, and worth their time), if they learned something, and if they recognized a change in their knowledge base concerning healthy stepfamily skills through attending the booster session. Participants consistently reported that they did find the booster session worthwhile, that they learned something, and that they increased in knowledge concerning healthy stepfamily skills. Although all participants reported that booster sessions were effective, Latino participants reported higher averages than Caucasian participants in research questions two and three. Study findings suggest that booster sessions can serve as a means of increasing educational gains of participants after the conclusion of course material. Also, discussion is provided concerning the implications of providing family life education for the Latino population.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether couples gained any knowledge as a result of attending expectant parent classes.A pre-class and post-class questionnaire was utilized to evaluate the learning. Areas covered were pre-labor symptoms, labor and delivery, activities post partum period, the newborn, family relationships, family planning, and relaxation and breathing patterns. Some couples were observed during labor and delivery to evaluate the use of the relaxation and breathing patterns and the husband's participation.This study indicated that husbands and wives did learn as a result of attending the expectant parent classes. It also indicated that the husbands actively participated in the labor and delivery phases and that the relaxation and breathing patterns were utilized to various degrees during labor and delivery.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Thesis (Ph.D.(Opv. Sielk.)--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982.

Thesis (M.A.)--International School of Theology, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-75).