Family Science Review

Pamela B. Payne, Ph.D. CFLE

ABSTRACT. Family Science undergraduates face unique challenges in finding and understanding the breadth of employment and educational opportunities within the field. As a
discovery degree, students often describe having found Family Science through taking a class and enjoying the topic, resulting in their further pursuit of the field (Hagenbush & Hamon, 2011; Schvaneveldt et al., 2013). This article addresses a series of professional development assignments aligned with National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Certified Family Life
Educator (CFLE) Content area #9 Professional Ethics & Practice. Building resume/CVs, cover letters and participating in peer reviews and mock interviews help prepare undergraduates for employment in Family Science. Assignment details, rubrics, student feedback, and course objectives are discussed so that others may use this assignment series to prepare future Family Science professionals.

Keywords: professional development, family life education, professional ethics, teaching

G. Kevin Randall

ABSTRACT. This paper focuses on a revision of a semester-long formal writing assignment based on the first family life education content area (see NCFR), Families and Individuals in Societal Contexts, particularly courtship and marital choice. Many students were not completing this assignment that addresses an important developmental process: dating, courting, and choosing a life partner. Incorporating known pedagogical principles from the writing-to-learn literature, the assignment’s revision included developing four components required throughout the semester. The research-based principles behind the revision included interactive writing processes, meaning-making writing tasks, and clear writing expectations. Student completion rates of a majority of the four components, anonymous Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) qualitative comments, and anecdotal interactions with the instructor supported revision. The assignment, assessment, and grading rubrics are included for others to consider and to revise for their classroom use.

Keywords: Premarital predictors, marital success, writing-to-learn

Wonjung Oh, Ph.D.,  Seowon Song, M.S., and Sylvia Niehuis, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT: Guided by family systems and multi-level complexity perspectives, this study examined dynamic family processes linking mothers’ perceived relationship satisfaction with their partner, coparenting (cooperation, conflict, and triangulation), and harsh parenting to children’s perceived competence and social acceptance, as well as behavior problems. The sample consisted of 61 dyads of mothers and preschool-age children. A path model revealed that low levels of coparenting conflict was directly associated with positive self-perception (greater perceived competence and social acceptance) in children. Mothers’ greater reported relationship satisfaction was also directly linked to children’s positive self-perception and to lesser behavior problems. In contrast, mothers who experienced greater coparenting triangulation with their partners reported harsher parenting, which in turn contributed to children’s behavior problems, supporting the spillover hypothesis. Additional findings highlight specific links between greater maternal relationship satisfaction with their partners, lesser coparenting conflict, and greater social competence in children.

Keywords: Coparenting, child competence, child behavior problems, harsh parenting, mothers’ relationship satisfaction

Feng Sun, Ph.D., Xiaohui Li, Ph.D., Jing Jian Xiao, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT: Mate selection is important to understanding social stratification and social mobility. China is experiencing the largest urbanization in the history of mankind, and the resulting population movement has affected traditional marriage patterns. Hukou, the Chinese word for the household residence registration, is an indicator of social status. The study used the Dynamic Monitoring Data of the Floating Population collected in 2013 and quantitatively examined the potential impact of rural-urban migration on marriage selection in China. Results indicated that after migration 1) the chance to marry someone from different social strata indicated by hukou status increased; 2) the chance to marry someone with higher education levels increased; and 3) the chance to marry someone with large age gaps increased, specifically, the chance for older men with an urban hukou to marry a younger women with a rural hukou increased.

Keywords: Mate selection, migration, rural-urban, hukou, China