<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>

abstract: Although social learning and attachment theories suggest that parent-adolescent relationships influence adult romantic relationships, research on this topic is limited. Most research examining relations between mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationship quality and young adult romantic relationship quality has found significant effects of mother-adolescent relationship quality. Findings on fathers have been less consistent. These relations have not been examined among youth who experienced parental divorce, which often negatively impacts parent-child relationships and romantic outcomes. Further, no prior studies examined interactive effects of mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationship quality on romantic attachment. The current study used longitudinal data from the control group of a randomized controlled trial of a preventative intervention for divorced families to examine unique and interactive effects of mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationship quality on young adult romantic attachment. The 72 participants completed measures of mother-adolescent relationship quality and father-adolescent relationship quality during adolescence (ages 15-19), and completed a measure of romantic attachment (anxiety and avoidance) during young adulthood (ages 24-28). Findings revealed significant interactive effects of mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationship quality on young adult romantic anxiety. The pattern of results suggests that having a high quality relationship with one's father can protect children from negative effects of having a low quality relationship with one's mother on romantic anxiety. These results suggest the importance of examining effects of one parent-adolescent relationship on YA romantic attachment in the context of the other parent-adolescent relationship. Exploratory analyses of gender revealed that father-adolescent relationship quality significantly interacted with gender to predict romantic avoidance; this relation was stronger for males. These results suggest that nonresidential fathers play an important role in adolescents' working models of relationships and their subsequent romantic attachment. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2013

<p> This study investigated parents&rsquo; experiences, challenges, benefits, and needs regarding their child&rsquo;s voice output communication aid (VOCA). Three mothers who had children who use a VOCA device as their primary form of communication were recruited from Goodwill of Orange County&rsquo;s Technology Exchange Center and Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and were interviewed by phone or email questionnaire. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed four major themes: (a) benefits of VOCA use, (b) barriers to VOCA use, (c) facilitators of VOCA use, and (d) continuing needs of families. The information obtained from this study can be used to better serve families and children who use VOCAs and other AAC devices to avoid barriers (e.g., insufficient training) and abandonment and to foster more successful outcomes. Further research is necessary to continue to investigate the needs of parents in terms of their child&rsquo;s device as well as the effectiveness of device training programs.</p><p>

<p> The doctoral project was developed to determine the extent to which over sixty-years-of-age members of First Presbyterian Church in Fresno, California perceived they received the five elements of &ldquo;The Blessing,&rdquo; described by authors Gary Smalley and John Trent in their books by the same name. Perceived adult quality of life was also assessed. These were measured using a twenty-item questionnaire, administered to 151 participants. The questionnaire had ten questions about receiving &ldquo;the blessing&rdquo; elements before the age of twenty and ten questions about adult quality of life. The Q1&ndash;Q10 (X) and the Q11&ndash;20 (Y) were evaluated using a Pearson Correlation Formula. Percentage of rates (1&ndash;5 corresponding to Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree) for each of the twenty items were calculated. Fourteen respondents who volunteered in response to the researcher&rsquo;s invitation were interviewed to expand on their perception of blessing and quality of life. The researcher discovered that in this population, there was a moderate positive correlation between early experiences of blessing and adult quality of life. Exceptions to this observation are noted. The researcher recommends that a six- to eight-week educational/experimental class be offered to the population so they have a clear understanding of &ldquo;The Blessing&rdquo; and are better equipped to administer it to others. A similar program will be offered at The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens retirement community.</p><p>

<p> Research has examined psychological symptoms, communication patterns from parent to child, parenting style, and protective and resiliency factors in descendants of Holocaust survivors. The current study explored intergenerational trauma and resilience in second- and third-generation Holocaust survivors as compared to a matched comparison group. Four groups were studied based on the participants&rsquo; Holocaust background and demographics: second generation (2GH; <i>n</i> = 7) and third generation survivors (3GH; <i> n</i> = 45) who self-identified as having at least one parent or grandparent, respectively, who is/was a Holocaust survivor interned during the war, and a matched comparison group (2GM; <i>n</i> = 22, 3GM; <i>n</i> = 13) for each generation consisting of non-Jewish descent who had one parent or grandparent who emigrated from the same European countries between 1945&ndash;1952. Ten 2GH and 3GH participants opted to complete the additional qualitative interview in which they were asked questions about their experiences as a descendant of a Holocaust survivor. Results showed that third-generation survivors endorsed more symptomatology than the matched comparison group; however, second generation survivors did not endorse more symptomatology than second generation match comparisons. Additionally, when descendants reported less adaptive family communication, affect responsiveness, and family cohesion, they reported higher levels of symptomatology. Lastly, we found that descendants who reported turning toward religion during times of stress (positive religious coping) endorsed higher levels of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptoms and those who endorsed turning away from religion in times of stress (negative religious coping) reported more depressive symptoms. A conceptual model is presented that includes vulnerability and resilience factors related to the intergenerational effects of Holocaust exposure.</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>

<p> Relations between parents and children play an essential role across the life course. A vast number of studies provide empirical evidence for the link between parental attachment and the psychological well-being of children. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore how American and American Lebanese parents perceive the influence of parent-child relationships on their children&rsquo;s well-being. Bowlby&rsquo;s attachment theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. A qualitative descriptive design was used in which 100 parents were sampled to complete a mostly open-ended online questionnaire. Additionally, 12 parent participants were interviewed by phone. Questionnaire results were presented in percentages and summary format. Interview results were deductively summarized. Main codes for the first research question were parent/child bonding, reciprocal communication patterns and connectedness. Main codes for the second research question included barriers to parent/child relationships and changes that occurred in the relationship over time. Findings did not reveal culture significantly influenced parent/child relationships in this sample. In conclusion, the study identified that closeness and communication are related to family the parent/child relationship. Due to limited analysis strategy and limited variation in the sample, more research is recommended. </p><p>

This dissertation studies ethnographically how ordinary heterosexual people habitually and with the best intentions make homosexuals or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered/trans-sexual) people invisible in their daily and ordinary communication processes in Japanese communities in both Oisawa, Japan and Western Massachusetts, U.S.A. This study raises a general question: what are the scenes and communication practices in and through which homosexuality becomes invisible or irrelevant to identification of the self? The main conceptual frames used are those of stigma theory by Ervin Goffman (1963), ethnography of communication by Dell Hymes 1972, 1974), cultural communication by Donal Carbaugh (1989, 1990, 1996, 2001, 2002, cf. 2003, 2005), and coordinated management of meaning by Vernon Cronen 1994). The methodology involves a variety of data including field observations, various forms of textual data, as well as interviews in each Japanese community in Japan and the U.S.A. In five chapters, different aspects of communicative practices and processes as well as associated cultural premises are explicated, delineated, and analyzed. In each case, both intended and unintended functions of the communication are explored. First, a communicative style of “being ordinary” (futuu) is explored, in and through which ordinary heterosexuals habitually enact a complete lack of awareness of homosexuals. This practice involves actions of “not seeing, not hearing, and not saying” (mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru ) that are enacted individually. When multiple interlocutors enact the actions in collaboration, the communicative practices constitute an event of “pretending nothing happened” (nakatta koto ni suru ), making LGBT identities communicationally invisible. Second, while addressing the Japanese cultural emphases on silence and indirect and ambiguous communication practices, a direct and open mode of Japanese communication practice is examined. This communication practice is called “speaking straightforwardly” (massugu yuu/hakkiri iu), in and through which the speaker expresses candid and sincere thoughts and feelings in accordance with common sense. The recipient of such communication often enacts “being open and receptive” (sunao), that involves listening silently without being defensive or becoming upset. These communicative practices actively and explicitly discourage and at times prohibit discourse about LGBT identities and orientation. Third, cultural premises regarding social and emotional selves associated with the communicative practices of being ordinary and speaking straightforwardly are explicated and analyzed. The dialectic interplay between the two selves becomes salient as the two communication practices are enacted, and it creates tension and human drama. Although ideally speaking an interlocutor has to be always in dialogue with the two selves, one self becomes more salient, as expressed in the communication process, than the other, depending on the situation. These two conflicting selves play a key role in legitimating the heterosexual understanding of what constitutes ordinary personhood, which often marginalizes LGBT identities and orientations as unimportant. Fourth, speaking straightforwardly as a silencing form of communication renders LGBT identities as frightening and cultivates gut-level discomfort against “homosexuals,” without knowing any of them personally. This silencing communication involves cultural conceptualization of human nature, human sexuality, and homosexuality. The family and intimate communication practices function as the gatekeeper, in which the interlocutors express openly and candidly their perceptions and gut-level discomfort about LGBT identities and their implications in society in terms of achieving mundane happiness. This ensures invisibility of LGBT identities, since parents wish for their children nothing but to be able to pursue mundane happiness. Fifth, an analysis of the Japanese heterosexual male-centered lovemaking scenes in ero-manga provides some possible sources of misunderstandings between males, females, and male homosexuals. In particular the analyses seek to identify and examine the intersection between the ero-manga representations and communicative practices of talking about sexuality. Many males often project their own male sense of sexuality on their female counterparts, while trying to please their female counterparts. In the males' communication practices of talking about male “homosexuals,” they project their sense of male sexuality on them. Thus, they express the gut-level discomfort that gay people may aggressively and sexually attack them. These analyses suggest a deeper examination of a gut-level discomfort with “homosexuals” as a communicationally cultivated feeling as opposed to an innate one. This study concludes with a summary of findings about communication generally and Japanese cultural communication practices specifically. It will also expand Goffman's framework of stigma, further develop the framework by discussing three additional categories, discuss the indiscernible power of heterosexual people, point out our communicative (in)actions that stigmatize, marginalize, and dehumanize homosexuals, and make suggestions for minimizing such negative effects.

This dissertation focuses on the living arrangements of multi-generational households among ten biggest immigrant groups in the United States. Specifically, it examines whether the husband’s or the wife’s older parents were more likely to be present. Co-residence patterns were taken as a proxy that reflected relative decision-making power in the family. A number of factors hypothesized to be associated with the outcome were examined to explore the effect of immigration on gender role ideology and gender relations in the post-1965 immigrant family. More than 102,000 multi-generational households from the 2000 U.S. Census were included in the analyses. Results suggested that while there were positive signs for women’s increasing status and relative decision-making power, the influence of original sending culture where immigrants have come from proved to be strong and persistent. Those from more patriarchal sending cultures, represented by India, Korea, and China, were more likely to have the husband’s parents co-residing; while those from less patriarchal sending cultures, represented by Jamaica, Cuba, and El Salvador, were more likely to have the wife’s parents present in the household. These findings illustrate the complex nature of gender relations in the immigrant family whereby the effect of assimilation is found in some domains, while the influence of sending culture is enduring or even reinforced in other domains. Results of this research contribute to the better understanding of the diversity of changes in gender relations that accompany immigration.