Associations of Maternal and Paternal Direct and Differential Behavior with Sibling Relationships: Contemporaneous and Longitudinal Analyses

In this study we examined associations of 4 paternal direct and differential behaviors with concurrent and longitudinal assessments of sibling relationships, as well as the unique contributions of mothers' and fathers' behavior to the sibling relationship variables. Observational assessments of maternal and paternal direct and differential behavior, as well as observational and self-report assessments of sibling relationship quality, were obtained. Only one difference emerged between rates of maternal and paternal behavior toward the children; however, paternal behavior accounted for unique variance in sibling relationship quality more often than did maternal behavior. The results are discussed in terms of relative parental availability.     

Contributions of protective and risk factors to literacy and socioemotional competency in former head start children attending kindergarten

We empirically evaluated the associations of hypothesized protective and risk factors with assessments of social, literacy, and cognitive competence in a sample of Head Start graduates attending kindergarten in rural Georgia. The sample included 117 former Head Start children and their primary caregivers, who were assessed during the fall of the children's kindergarten year. The participating families—59% African American, 39% white, and 1 % Latin American—lived in four rural counties in northeast Georgia. Data were obtained from caregivers, teachers, and children, using a multimethod, multi-informant research design. Caregivers provided information about developmental goals, family processes, and their own psychological functioning; and the children and their kindergarten teachers provided socioemotional, literacy, and cognitive-competence information. The results support the hypothesized relations between the child-competence measures and protective factors, especially caregiver self-esteem, endorsement of independence-promoting developmental goals, co-caregiver support and communication, and engaged, responsive, and cognitively challenging caregiver-child interactions. The results also support the hypothesis that caregiver distress and conflicted family relationships are associated with negative developmental outcomes for former Head Start children attending kindergarten.     

Effective practices for creating transformative informal science education programs grounded in Native ways of knowing

There are a growing number of informal science education (ISE) programs in Native communities that engage youth in science education and that are grounded in Native ways of knowing. There is also a growing body of research focusing on the relationship between culture, traditional knowledge, and science education. However, there is little research documenting how these programs are being developed and the ways in which culture and Western science are incorporated into the activities. This study outlines effective practices for using Native ways of knowing to strengthen ISE programs. These effective practices may also be used to promote change in formal education. The authors combine an overview of current research in informal science education with personal interviews with educators engaged in ISE programs offered to youth both on and off tribal reservations as well as experts in Indigenous education. Participating individuals and programs included Native communities across the United States, including Alaska and Hawai??i. Keeping in mind that each community is unique, ISE programs that are grounded in Native ways of knowing will benefit by utilizing the effective practices outlined here as a guide for starting or strengthening existing ISE programs relevant to the needs of their communities.     

Perceived Discrimination Among African American Adolescents and Allostatic Load: A Longitudinal Analysis With Buffering Effects

This study was designed to examine the prospective relations of perceived racial discrimination with allostatic load (AL), along with a possible buffer of the association. A sample of 331 African Americans in the rural South provided assessments of perceived discrimination from ages 16 to 18 years. When youth were 18 years, caregivers reported parental emotional support and youth assessed peer emotional support. AL and potential confounder variables were assessed when youth were 20. Latent growth mixture modeling identified two perceived discrimination classes: high and stable, and low and increasing. Adolescents in the high and stable class evinced heightened AL even with confounder variables controlled. The racial discrimination to AL link was not significant for young adults who received high emotional support.     

Reference Sources and Research Methods

Lorna M. Daniells' Business Information Sources (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976---$14.95)

Gene V. Glass, ed. Evaluation Studies: Review Annual Volume I, 1976 (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1976---$29.95)

The Concise and Comprehensive Reference Guide to Black Journalism, Radio and Television, Educational and Cultural Organizations in the USA, Africa, and the Caribbean (Black List, Box 3552, New York, N.Y. 10017---$50.00, two volumes, paper)

Ray B. Browne, ed. Abstracts of Popular Culture: A Quarterly Publication of International Popular Phenomena (Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1976---$50.00 per year/$90.00 for two years/$200 for five years)