Communicated Meaning-Making in Foster Families: Relationships Between Foster Parents’ Entrance Narratives and Foster Child Well-Being

Guided by narrative theorizing, the present study analyzed the ways foster parents create and tell foster entrance narratives (FENs) to their foster child. Thematic and content analyses of 101 foster parents’ FENs illuminated nine emergent themes—birth parent consequences, deep connection, special, untold, birth parent learning, temporary, pragmatic, forever, and better off. Structural equation modeling revealed significant relationships between FEN themes and foster parents’ perceptions of foster child adjustment and foster parent–child relational closeness. Findings demonstrate the way foster parents narratively manage birth parent identity, how FENs clarify family boundaries, and the impact of (not) telling FENs on relationships outside the family.     

CHRISTIANITY AND DOGMATISM REVISITED: A STUDY AMONG FIFTEEN AND SIXTEEN YEAR OLDS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

A sample of 802 adolescents between the ages of fifteen and sixteen years completed an Anglicized form of the Dommert revision of the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale and the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity, together with the Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory. The data demonstrate that attitude toward Christianity and dogmatism are unrelated constructs, although both are related, in different ways, to Eysenck's major dimensions of personality.     

How student and parent goal orientations and classroom goal structures influence the math achievement of African Americans during the high school transition

This study examined the effects of student and parent goal orientations and perceived classroom goal structures on grades and self-efficacy in mathematics during the high school transition. From a sample of 50 African American families living in a low-income school district, student survey data and open-ended parent interviews were examined. There were three significant findings. First, students who espoused more mastery goals in high school mathematics experienced more positive changes in self-efficacy and grades in mathematics during the high school transition than did their peers. Second, students who perceived more mastery and less performance goal structures in their high school math classrooms experienced more positive changes in mathematics self-efficacy during the transition than did their peers. Third, adolescents whose parents espoused mastery goals had higher grades than did their peers whose parents did not espouse mastery goals. Results indicate that mastery goals may be more influential in determining achievement and motivation in mathematics for African American students than are performance goals during the high school transition.     

A skill development program for native students: Preliminary results

The increasing enrolment of Native students has not been matched by increases in success or retention rates. A skill development program designed for support service delivery to high risk students was provided for Native students in a liberal arts university. Assessment of the program in terms of academic performance, a demographic and perceived problem questionnaire, and anecdotal evidence resulted in support for continuation of the program and in planned modification of the orientation component.Although there has been a gratifying increase over the last decade in the enrolment of Canadian Natives in post-secondary programs (Sloan, 1981), this trend has not been followed by an equally increased success rate. Rather, Native students have exhibited high attrition rates paralleling the well-documented rates found in the primary and secondary school system (Sealey, 1980). In light of the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of traditionally-delivered student support services for Native students, efforts have been made to develop programs for Native students prior to admission (Grindstaff, 1970) or for those enrolled in a professional program (Read, 1983). The results of these special programs are encouraging, and consistent with the concept of special service delivery systems for high risk students (Smith et al., 1981).The present paper will examine the results of the first year of operation of a skill development program for Native students in a liberal arts university.     

Wie die Türken in unsere Köpfe kamen. Das Türkei-Bild in der deutschen Pädagogik zwischen 1820 und 1930

The article reconstructs the image of Turkey and the Turks that German education portrayed between 1820 and 1930. The analysis is based on educational periodicals and reference works from the historical eras of the German Confederation, the German Empire and the First World War, tracing the way old stereotypes persisted and new stereotypes arose. The study especially focuses on the opinions of German educationalists about schools in Turkey, Turkish women, Islam, the question of whether Turkey was part of Europe, and last not least on whether Ottoman educational policies were appropriate. Closely following the historical sources, the article shows how the opinions of German educationists changed according to the shift of Germany’s geopolitical interests, how their outlook went hand in hand with the views of the general press, and how they gradually came to a professional self-concept that contrasted ‘their’ educational system with what they believed was a ‘backward’ system in Turkey. At the same time they began to develop an interest in doing professional work in Turkey. The article can also be regarded as a contribution to the history of educational thinking in Germany in the course of the nineteenth century.     

ORGANIZING,MANAGING, AND EVALUATING SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECTS

As educators work to develop methods to capture the attention of greater numbers of students, they are finding merit in some of the tried-and-true methods of the past. Service-learning is one of those methods with a sound reputation that is now enjoying a comeback. Previously known as experiential learning, service-learning expands on the best aspects of volunteerism and classical internships. Service-learning projects are beneficial for students, faculty members, site providers, and clients. Regardless of whether projects are loosely constructed with little oversight or highly prescribed and closely monitored, a systematic approach to organization, management, and evaluation is important. This article offers an adaptable framework for educators who wish to incorporate new or improve existing service-learning experiences within their gerontology programs.