THE EFFECTS OF A RURAL PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAM ON PARENTING STRESS, PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT, PARENTAL LOCUS OF CONTROL, AND PARENTAL EFFICACY

by Janie M. Cole

This project was a pilot study examining the effects of a rural parent education program on parenting stress, perceived social support, parental locus of control, and parental efficacy. The sample consisted of a group of six mothers in West Virginia. The variables were tested using the Parenting Stress Index, Perceived Social Support from Friends Index and two subscales, Parental Efficacy and Belief in Fate and Chance, from the Parental Locus of Control Scale. Using Cronbach’s alpha, the Parental Efficacy Subscale and all but one subscale of the Parenting Stress Index were found to be reliable with this small sample. Analysis was done using paired samples t tests to determine changes in pre- and posttest mean scores. A significant decrease in parent/child dysfunctional interaction, a subscale of the Parenting Stress Index, and a marginal decrease in the Parental Belief in Fate and Chance subcale of the Parental Locus of Control Scale were found.

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PARENTING SECOND FIRST CHILDREN: WHAT EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MOTHERS WHO HAVE RELINQUISHED A CHILD FOR ADOPTION

The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to examine the experiences of
birthmothers who relinquished a child for adoption and determine if this affected their subsequent parenting. The questions that guided the study were: (1.) How do birthmothers describe their experience of relinquishing a child for adoption?; (2.) How do birth mothers describe their experience of parenting subsequent children?; (3.) How do mothers who have relinquished a child for adoption perceive their parenting skills?; and (4.) What do mothers who have relinquished a child for adoption want early childhood professionals to know about their subsequent parenting experience?
Three birthmothers who put a child up for adoption and were parenting at least
one child within the early childhood age range volunteered to participate in the study. The researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews, observations, artifacts and follow-up interviews to determine how relinquishment of a child affects the ability to parent subsequent children.
Results of this study indicated that relinquishing a child for adoption is a life-
altering experience that has an impact on parenting of subsequent children. Participants in the study lacked confidence in their parenting and believed they overcompensated with subsequent children due to the loss they experienced. Although the birthmothers did not want to be treated differently from other families, specific themes were identified which reflected their experiences.
Understanding the experience of relinquishing a child for adoption and its impact
on subsequent parenting is critical in the field of early childhood education for several reasons. First, teachers must recognize that the contemporary family extends far beyond that of two parents, two children, and a dog living in a house with a white picket fence. Next, when creating classroom assignments that explore family histories, specific details that have not been shared with young children may arise when researching these types of projects. Modifications can be made to eliminate the possibility of causing angst and turmoil for the family. Being sensitive to the many types of families, including those where a mother has relinquished a child for adoption, is essential to successful partnerships with families in the field of early childhood education.

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INTEGRATED EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM PARTICIPATION, PARENTING, AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES: THE TORONTO FIRST DUTY PROJECT

This study examined predictors of program participation and the potential effects of participation on child development in five school sites offering integrated preschool services as part of the Toronto First Duty (TFD) demonstration project. The TFD model offered a seamless, school-based ‘service community’ integrating childcare, kindergarten, family literacy, and other early childhood services.
Despite sound conceptual arguments for the utility of integrating early childhood services, no empirical studies have examined the relation between uptake of integrated preschool services and children’s developmental outcomes, within the ecological context of integrated services. This study examined program participation levels or ‘dosage’, while considering the social ecology of the child, including family and school level characteristics that may moderate or mediate the effectiveness of community-level service integration efforts to improve child outcomes during the transition to school.
The ecology of participation effects was examined through generalized linear modeling techniques analyzing a linked dataset (N=272) including: (1) systematic intake form and tracking data on hours of program use, (2) children’s school readiness or child development teacher-report ratings (Early Development Instrument) measured across five domains (physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication and general knowledge), and (3) a measure of service integration levels across sites.
The results provided evidence that TFD achieved its outreach aims in ensuring equitable access for all families; demographic risk factors did not predict less participation in TFD integrated services. In a parallel analysis of predictors of kindergarten absences, there was one difference; males were absent more in kindergarten, whereas there were no gender differences in integrated service participation. The results provided additional evidence that the TFD model has potential in reducing disparities in children’s developmental outcomes since participation dose predicted children’s physical health and well-being, language and cognitive development, and communication and general knowledge, after taking into account demographic, parenting and site factors. Further, parents' being less child-centred and less interested in parent participation, were significant risk factors associated with children's developmental outcomes. This study has implications for understanding the ecological complexities of school readiness, and the potential processes by which program participation affects children’s outcomes

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Exploring Reasons for the Low Number of Males in High School Parenting and Child Development Classes

The purpose ofthis study is to identify the reasons for the low number of males that enroll in Parenting and Child Development classes at the high school level. A survey was developed to examine the attitudes and perspectives of male students in regards to enrolling in Parenting and Child Development classes. Females also participated to see if they had the same attitudes and perspectives as the males. The subjects used to obtain the needed data were current freshmen during the 2007-2008 academic year. Each student in the freshman class was given a Consent to Participate in UW-Stout Approved Research form to be shared and signed by their parent or guardian and returned to the investigator. The students that returned the signed consent forms were then given the survey. Responses were categorized, analyzed and presented in tables and figures.

The results verify that there currently exists a significant low number ofmales enrolled in Parenting and Child Development classes as compared to females. The study offers reasons for this behavior and suggestions for equalizing the enrollment. While females and males generally agree that these types ofcourses offer benefits such as knowledge on the subject and preparedness for pregnancy and responsibility, they tend to disagree on the timing ofthese classes and which gender would benefit more from being enrolled in Parenting or Child Development classes.
By implementing changes in the way the Parenting and Child Development classes are promoted and by designing a class format that would appeal more toward males, it might be possible to achieve increased enrollment in these courses.


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Parental Education and Child Learning Investing in Goods and Time

Children of more educated parents have been shown to outperform their peers on standardized tests, an outcome often attributed to more educated parents investing more in their childrenís human capital accumulation. However, neither the form of this investment nor the extent to which it explains the relationship between parental education and child learning is well understood. Using unique data from China, this paper examines how parental education impacts the householdís provision of time and goods used in childrenís learning and the extent to which these investments may explain the relationship between parental education and child learning. I Önd that more educated parents allocate greater levels of both goods and time to their childrenís human capital accumulation. In addition, controlling for investments in goods and time reduces the estimated e§ects of parental education on childrenís learning.
Keywords: Investments, Education, Human Capital, Time Allocation, China


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