2015 Volume 20 Issue 3

Guest Editors: Raeann R. Hamon, Ph.D., CFLE & Suzanne R. Smith, Ph.D.

Introduction: This, and the next, issue of Family Science Review are dedicated to innovative strategies for teaching family theory. While students often consider theory dry, boring, and mundane, faculty educators realize that a solid grasp of family theory is critically foundational for family science scholars, practitioners, and educators. Theory provides the lenses through which we see relationships, families and the world. Theory shapes the questions we ask, the research we conduct, our interpretations of research findings, the programs we develop, the services we offer, and the family life education we provide.
In this collection, family science educators and scholars share a variety of approaches to teaching family theories. While some share evaluative data on the effectiveness of their experiential activities or assignments, others simply describe their strategy in detail so that it can be replicated in the classroom of others. Both offer great contributions as we try to identify and incorporate those practices which will help students to adopt and apply the many theories employed by family professionals.

Bethany Willis Hepp, Michael R. Sturm, and Karen Lee Doneker

ABSTRACT: Family theory provides a critical foundation for learning in family science education, but learning about theories can be perceived as difficult and for students. Previous scholarship on strategies for teaching family theories has not included the use of music. Analysis of music could help understanding and application of theoretical content to relationships. This article presents an innovative activity for teaching family theories to major and non-major undergraduates in an introductory family science course. The activity’s goal is to engage students in a learning process that supports their abilities to make meaningful connections to the content. Results of a quasi-experimental evaluation suggest that this music activity facilitated student engagement and application. Students who participated in the exercise found family theories more meaningful to their studies and personal lives than did students who did not participate.

Keywords: teaching theory, family science, and music

Tami James Moore

ABSTRACT: This article reports on the impact of an innovative assignment within an upper-division family resource management course in a public university. Although designed to enhance understanding of dynamic and complex decision-making approaches within and among families, analysis of student writings revealed increased understanding of actual application of theory to understanding of family and consumer behavior. After completing a small group carousel activity addressing major theories within the study of families, students were assigned imaginary “family” units and worked through 11 situations. Periodically, each student met within a “community” of other students representing four very different case families. To determine the impact of this case approach, students were asked to submit reflection papers describing their experiences. Students indicated that the experiences enhanced their understanding of course concepts and their abilities to apply multiple family theories to each situation.

Keywords: theory, family resource management, family science, pedagogy

Soyoung Lee, Hassan Raza, Kaitlin Mulcahy and Rebecca Swann-Jackson

ABSTRACT: Learning and understanding theory can be challenging not only for students, but can also present an equally challenging undertaking for instructors. Teaching theory requires instructors to transmit abstract knowledge to students through innovative strategies in a learning environment that is supportive of the diversity of students’ learning experiences. This article presents a shared teaching and learning experience of an instructor and three doctoral students in an introductory Family Theories course. The teaching strategies illuminate multiple interactive, systematic, and reflective techniques offered to students to facilitate the learning experience. Students discuss their distinctive challenges and stratagems used for learning and understanding family theories through collaborative and shared learning approaches. Each student reflection highlights a particular learning trajectory leading to an application of the theory.

Keywords: family theories, teaching strategies, reflections

Paul A. Johns, Rachel L. Kreiger and Caroline M. Hurff

ABSTRACT: This paper describes Process Journal:“My Life as a Family Therapist,” an assignment used in an undergraduate marriage and family therapy survey course to facilitate learning of systems-based marriage and family therapy theories. After starting with brief discussion of the value of teaching systems-based marriage and family therapy theories to undergraduates, the authors share detailed information about course content and objectives, following with explication of assignment objectives, procedure, and rationale. The paper concludes with reflections on the assignment that include student thoughts about the task and excerpts from their journal entries.

Keywords: systems theory, marriage and family therapy, undergraduate, teaching, learning, socialization

Julie A. Zaloudek and Amanda E. Barnett

ABSTRACT: Students often find it a challenge to understand the complexity of families in society and the impact of policies on family life. They tend to oversimplify information and let assumptions and biases, rather than theories, lead them when grounding their interpretations and policy solutions. We developed a series of class activities to engage student affect and invite students to theorize about a problem (conditions of The Lakota on Pine Ridge Reservation), intentionally guiding them through increasingly informed, systematic inductive and abductive reasoning that leads to deductive application of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory. The result is that students achieve more compassionate, complex, and informed understandings of theory, families, and family policy.

Keywords: theory, teaching, family science, family policy, ecological theory, empathy, affective learn

Amanda E. Barnett and Julie A. Zaloudek

ABSTRACT: Theory, a foundation of the family science field, can be a challenging subject to teach to undergraduate students in family science. We developed a semester-long project titled the Solutions to Poverty Project to help family resource management students apply Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological theory to the complex societal issue of resource disparities and poverty among individuals and families in the United States. Students develop appreciation for practical use of theory and deeper understanding of potential contributors and solutions to resource disparities that affect their personal and professional lives.

Keywords: theory, teaching, family science, family resource management, poverty

Nicole A. Graves

ABSTRACT: The lesson Applying Exchange Theory to Understand Family Decision-Making in Context has been used in an undergraduate family theories course to introduce students to the history, concepts, basic assumptions, and propositions of exchange theory. A learning activity called Daycare A, B, or C? provides students an opportunity to work in a small group setting to apply exchange theory for enhanced understanding of family decision making.

Keywords: family theory, exchange theory, teaching strategies, collaborative group work

Sharon N. Obasi and Toni L. Hill

ABSTRACT: Thorough understanding of the theoretical basis of family science is essential for practitioners. However, the teaching and study of family science theories is challenging because theory is often presented in abstract ways. This paper examines the use of comics, cartoons and sequential art as an innovative way to teach family science theory. Review of a lesson on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as applied to child kinship care demonstrates the pedagogical usefulness of comics to teach theory in family science.

Keywords: comics, pedagogy, ecological systems theory, kinship foster care, family science

Cheryl Buehler, Shakiera T. Causey, Sara Etz Mendonca, Alia D. Henderson, Pamela Linton, Norcross and Peter D. Rehder

ABSTRACT: This paper describes an andragogical method of creating substantive conceptual models from family theories using deductive thinking. Development of this method used ideas from Bloom’s taxonomy, Piaget’s conceptualizations of accommodation, and Masterman’s descriptions of concrete ways to facilitate paradigmatic, abstract shifts in thinking. There is description of learning activities including an experience called sit and think. Illustrations of the method entail descriptions of five models based on theories: family systems (1 model), social exchange (1 model), and symbolic interaction (3 models). One of models based on symbolic interaction theory incorporated elements from critical race feminist theory. The creators of these models reflect on their learning processes and suggest recommendations for further development of the andragogical method.

Keywords: deductive theorizing, family theories, model building