INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Changes have occurred in the sources of learning and scope of thinking that children are expected to rely on. Corresponding changes are also necessary in the education of adults to ensure that intergenerational relationships are satisfying, particularly within families. A rationale for the education of grandparents is presented along with the format of an innovative and practical program. Elements of the grandparent curriculum include sharing feelings and ideas with peers, listening to the perspective of young people, studying life‐span personal development, improving family communication skills, and focusing self‐evaluation on relevant behavior. Each of these components is described in terms of eocpected benefits.     

Taiwanese Grandmothers: Strengths and Learning Needs as Perceived by Grandmothers,Mothers, and Granddaughters

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine how three generations of females from the same families perceived the grandmothers, (b) identify strengths and learning needs of the grandmothers, and (c) recommend guidelines and curriculum themes to assist the grandmothers in adjusting to change. The 348 Taiwanese subjects included grandmothers (n = 116), mothers (n = 116), and teenage granddaughters (n = 116). Subjects completed a Mandarin version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Each generation reported favorable ratings for grandmothers on the frustration, difficulty, information needs, and satisfaction scales. Unfavorable ratings were given for the teaching and success scales.     

PERFORMANCE OF BLACK GRANDMOTHERS: PERCEPTIONS OF THREE GENERATIONS OF FEMALES

The purposes of this study were to (a) identify perceptions of 3 generations about the influence of black grandmothers; (b) describe contributions of black grandmothers and detect obstacles that limit their success; and (c) recommend curricula for programs to enhance success of black grandmothers. The 253 subjects were black grandmothers (n?=?76), mothers (n?=?65), and granddaughters (n?=?112). Each generation completed the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. A high degree of agreement among generations revealed that teaching is perceived as the greatest strength of grandmothers. Their greatest limitation was the need for information about individual grandchildren.     

It takes a village: Managing conflict in the K-12 classroom

This project examines the classroom conflict management challenges K–12 teachers experience. The U.S. Department of Education released a January 2014 bulletin outlining their classroom conflict management position, providing teachers recommendations without providing tools and conflict management knowledge to effectively implement the recommended programs. Understanding the nature and components of conflict better enables conflict managers (i.e., teachers) to effectively manage and resolve conflict. Understanding the challenges teachers face when managing conflict enables practitioners to create practical recommendations for conflict resolution education. This project analyzed data from four focus groups of K–12 teachers (n = 21) from the northern Midwest. Teachers identified structural challenges (i.e., lack of parental or administrative support) to managing conflict. Findings indicate that comprehensive conflict management training and productive communication between all levels of the system are necessary to effectively manage conflict in the classroom.     

Anonymity and Interaction in an Online Breast Cancer Social Support Group

Despite the benefits of using online social support groups, prior research does not provide a solid understanding of the online factors related to an individual’s supportive interaction. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how various aspects of anonymity predict different levels of social support engagement. The current study uncovers that visually identifiable group members are more likely to get supportive responses than are visually anonymous members. Also, when support group members are visually and discursively identifiable, they are more likely to get supportive messages than those who are visually and discursively anonymous. Additionally, the more identifiable support group members are, the more they receive positive messages. Practical implications for the role of social support group members’ anonymity/identifiability on the overall social support process are presented.     

Sustainability in open access publishing: The ecancer case study

• Innovative business models to complement or replace traditional models of funding academic publishing are currently proliferating.
• Not relying solely on one source of funding is a key factor in sustainability.
• Pay what you can afford (PWYCA) is a new model for article processing charges (APCs) providing both a revenue stream and an opportunity to raise awareness of the cost of publishing amongst authors.
• Treating a journal as part of an overall enterprise rather than as a stand‐alone business contributes significantly to its sustainability.

     

Grandparent Education: Raising Grandchildren

Grandparent-headed households are increasing in the United States. Most caregivers believe their role will be permanent. The responsibilities are more difficult because previous parenting experiences do not apply to some current challenges, and there are no paradigms to provide guidance. Accordingly, caregivers want to know the goals that successful grandparents share to consider them as a source of direction. Identification of grandparent success is based on the separate and combined responses from three generations to 60 Likert-type items in the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Results detect assets and knowledge gaps, and they are used to determine content for group interventions. This presentation unites findings drawn from three-generational studies, community program initiatives, and case studies. The purpose is to show how goals of successful grandparents can be used to inform a paradigm for caregivers so that they are able to establish suitable priorities, recognize the necessary adjustments in their thinking and behavior, and discover how to assess progress. Grandparents develop these strengths when they are willing to amend their dreams, get to know grandchildren by spending time together, and adopt a perspective that enables management of stress. Cooperation with a parent who shares an obligation for childcare is essential along with an understanding of family rights and benefits. Success also requires resilience to confront predictable setbacks and provide lessons for grandchildren about overcoming adversity.     

DEVELOPING CURRICULA FOR GRANDPARENTS IN JAPAN

The purpose of this study was to determine how three generations view the contribution and needs of grandparents in Japan. A sample consisting of 239 grandparents, 266 parents, and 274 grandchildren from, urban and rural areas completed the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory (Strom & Strom, 1993). Grandparents reported more satisfaction, success, and involvement in teaching than was observed by parents or grandchildren. Grandparents experienced greater difficulty as well as frustration and saw themselves as less informed about their role than was reported by younger people. Significant main effects were generation, grandchild gender, grandchild age, generations living together, frequency of grandchild care by the grandparent, and amount of time the generations spent together. Implications for building curricula and guidelines for program development are identified.