Family Science Review
Research Articles
Leslie Koepke & Sarah Wolfgram
ABSTRACT: This paper describes the “gatekeeping process” of a family science undergraduate program developed in 2007. The intent of the process is to assess student academic readiness and personal suitability for the family science profession before internship placement. There is discussion of factors needing consideration before implementing such a process, which include faculty and university support for and student response to the assessment process. The authors provide initial data and outcomes which support continued implementation of the gatekeeping process over a seven-year period. Implications for practice, intervention, research and policy are offered, with the goal of benefiting students, protecting future clients, and upholding the family science profession.
Keywords: gatekeeper, practicum, intern, student assessment, competencies
Brandon K. Burr, J. Brooke Kuns, Anita Glee Bertram & Nathan R. Cottle
ABSTRACT: Many couples experience difficulty from relationship distress and/or divorce. Some research suggests that teaching relationship education (RE) to emerging adults before many enter long-term committed relationships can reduce relationship difficulty and promote healthy relationship behaviors. Yet, very little investigation has been conducted with RE and emerging adults. This study incorporated important concepts from the Within My Reach RE curriculum into an existing college class on marriage and comparisons were made with a class who did not receive RE on several variables. Results showed that those in the revised class showed significant gains in relationship confidence, insight, and healthy decision-making over the control class. Implications for practitioners and researchers are provided based on study findings.
Keywords: Relationship education, emerging adulthood, program evaluation
Nicole Hyndman, Charlene VanLeeuwen & Lori E. Weeks
ABSTRACT: Technology is impacting the way we teach and the way students learn. The purpose of this study was to gather information on technology choices in Family Science courses and to explore what is driving the way Family Science instructors are choosing to integrate technology in their courses. What sets our study apart is our focus on the use of technology in Family Science classrooms. The adoption of technology is often done without fully taking time to analyze why we are using it, what is accomplished through its use and what the consequences may be. Ideally instructors engage in critical reflection about what technology we are using and why and how the selected technology should facilitate learning, encourage student engagement and higher order learning outcomes.
Keywords: technology, teaching, instructors
Karen L. Doneker, Bethany Willis Hepp, Debra L. Berke & Barbara H. Settles
ABSTRACT: This paper explores the recent advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) into distance learning and higher education. Distance education itself has been effectively employed in family science and other social science curriculums, but the web- enhanced, innovative technologies that MOOCs provide have the potential to advance family science and family life education even further. This paper will explore the challenges that MOOCs offer in regard to attrition and retention, pedagogy, academic standards and cost, as well as consider the opportunities for enhancing family science curriculums and family life education on a global scale. A process for a faculty considering whether or not the MOOC technology is appropriate for a family science department is proposed.
Keywords: MOOCS, massive open online classes, internet teaching
Debbie S. Kruenegel-Farr, Kimberly Allen, & Margaret E. Machara
ABSTRACT: Family and parent coaches work in clinical and non-clinical settings, receiving training from a variety of sources. Although family coaches are gaining in numbers, there is no standard credentialing or certification process for individuals or programs related to family coaching. The purpose of the current study was to understand training procedures and specific competencies required by programs offering training and certification in parent and/or family coaching. Qualitative information was collected regarding program standards and topics, skills gained, format and length of program, cost, theoretical perspectives, and support offered (during and after training). The primary finding was that seven training programs were quite varied with few similarities. Implications include the need for standardization of definitions as well as the creation of training standards and competencies. This study demonstrated that as the family coaching field expands, some modicum of standardization in training is necessary to ensure families receive quality coaching services.
Shannon N. Davis
ABSTRACT: This paper focuses on one possible influence of the Great Recession on family life, the expected level of support for relocation due to job opportunity. Using unique data from 116 married individuals in the United States, married couples are categorized by expectations for employment prioritization. Couples are categorized as egalitarian (reporting equal willingness to relocate in support of either spouse’s employment), traditional (reporting greater willingness to relocate in support of the husband’s employment), or non-traditional (reporting greater willingness to relocate in support of the wife’s employment). Analyses reveal significant differences in the factors correlated with being categorized as egalitarian, traditional, or non traditional. Couple history, measured as marital duration and previous career prioritization, and husband’s human capital characteristics (education and occupational prestige) are the main factors that distinguish among the couple types. The analysis provides insight into the ways couples renegotiate gender and power vis-à-vis their interaction with structural constraints.
Keywords: family relocation; career prioritization; work-family decisions
