Students

Chapter 2 Careers in HDFS

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Careers in HDFS?”

1. After reading about the different career options students have pursued discussed in the chapter, think about your future career goal.  Research your career goal to learn more about it.  How can an HDFS education help you to excel in your chosen field?  Does your future career goal require a Master’s or Doctorate degree?
2. Field experiences provide excellent opportunities for working hands-on with individuals and families.  They can be in the form of field observations, practica, or internships.  To get an idea of what this may be like, consider volunteering for one day at an organization that works with families, such as schools, shelters, nonprofits, etc.  Write a reflection about your experience, including your feelings about working hands-on with families.
3. Research your area for conferences.  If possible, attend a conference.  If not possible, view highlights from prior conferences (which can be found online) from any professional organization discussed in the chapter.  Reflect on some highlights of the conference you attended/viewed.  How can attending a conference enhance your education as an HDFS student?

Chapter 3 History and Future of HDFS Field

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from the “History and Future of HDFS Field?”

1. Visit the National Council on Family Relations website (www.ncfr.org).  Read the “Benefits of Membership.”  Reflect on ways a membership could help further your knowledge and understanding of HDFS.
2. Justin Morrill is the Father of Land Grant Institutions and the driving force behind the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.  More than 150 years ago, Morrill had a vision that the nation would be more prosperous if it provided opportunities for education to underrepresented citizens.  Because of his vision, today many states have 1890 Land-Grant Universities.  Research if your state is one of these states.  How did Morrill’s vision contribute to the growth in higher education?  Do you believe his vision is or is not still relevant today and why?

Chapter 4 Introduction to Research in HDFS

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Introduction to Research in HDFS?”

1. Becoming a diligent consumer of research is important for professionals working with individuals and families.  Staying up-to-date with research literature is imperative to adequately performing your duties.  Determine a research topic that is important to working with individuals and families that is of interest to you, such as early childhood education or English as a second language.  Search your institution’s library for peer-reviewed journal articles regarding your topic.  Find a current article (within the past 10 years) and an older article (over 30 years old).  Compare articles to determine changes that have occurred in the research of the topic.  How has the research grown?  What new contributions have been made to the topic? 
2. To determine the difference between primary and secondary sources, search a chosen research interest in both Google and Google Scholar.  What differences do you notice in the search results?  Choose one result from Google and one result from Google Scholar and compare the information found in both sources.  Discuss the differences between the sources and determine if they are primary or secondary sources.
3. Provide descriptions of the following terms, and note any hallmarks as well:
1. basic research
2. applied research
3. longitudinal studies
4. cross-sectional studies
5. cross-sequential studies
6. qualitative research
7. quantitative research
8. probability sampling
9. nonprobability sampling
10. experiment
11. quasi-experiment
12. literature review
13. references

Chapter 5 Introduction to Theories in HDFS

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Introduction to Theories in HDFS?”

1. After watching Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment, develop an experiment to test if young children will model an adult’s positive behavior.  Examples of positive behaviors could include opening a door for someone, saying thank you, helping someone pick up a dropped object, etc.  If possible, casually conduct your experiment and document your findings. 
2. Conflict Theory recognizes that tensions, stressors, and divergent interests are an integral and normal part of family life.  Reflect on conflicts that have occurred in your family.  How does your family handle conflict?  Is conflict in your family a healthy experience?  Share your thoughts on how conflict can be a healthy experience for families.
3. When thinking about Attachment Theory, recall a person in your life that you had a secure attachment to as a child.  How do you believe this attachment influenced you as an adult?  If you lacked a secure attachment in childhood, how do you believe this influenced you as an adult?

Chapter 6 Introduction to Family Life Education and Its Applications

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Introduction to Family Life Education and Its Applications?”

1. What are similarities between family life education, family therapy, and family case management?
2. How would you respond to this ethical dilemma? What ethical principles from the Family Life Educators code of ethics support your response?

Malin has a M.S. degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She recently took the CFLE exam, passed it, and provided documented work experience. She is now a CFLE. Malin is conducting a FLE program about sexuality education for young children and their families. There is one LGBT family in the group. Jenka, a mom, states during the session that children only need to learn about where babies come from the old-fashioned way, between a man and a woman, a father and a mother. The LGBT family and other members in the group seem to be uneasy with Jenka’s assertions. As the facilitator of the group, what are some considerations and implications that Malin needs to think about and what should she do? It might be helpful to assess the relationships involved, assess if you have the skills to handle the situation, and are there any collaborations or resources available that might help mitigate or resolve this situation. 

1. Cora recently earned a B.S. in child development and became a CFLE. She is planning her first FLE program at a community organization; however, she is worried that no one will sign up for her program. Cora tells you that she is thinking about asking her friends to participate so that her boss does not think she is a failure. What would you tell Cora about dual relationships? Might he be helpful for Cora to strengthen her marketing and recruitment efforts? If so, what could she do?
2. What would a vision statement for a FLE program on a topic of your choice sound like?
3. Get a copy of a book, such as Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff by Richard Carlson. Select a few chapters or ideas, such as “Make Peace with Imperfection”, “Develop your Compassion” or “Don’t Interrupt Others or Finish their Sentences.” Think about if any of the ideas apply to your professional live or how would you revise a chapter to make it applicable to core ethics and values of FLE. 

Chapter 7 Professional Development and Ethics

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Professional Development and Ethics?”

1. Think about the profession you aspire to work in.  What professional dispositions do individuals in this profession possess?  If possible, ask a professional about their dispositions.  If not possible, you can learn about professionals through their biographies if available online.  Do your attitudes, values, beliefs, behaviors, and ethics align with the dispositions of individuals in this profession? 
2. Chose one of the current headlines discussed in the chapter.  Read the article and reflect on how HDFS relates to the article. 
3. Professional experiences include practica, internships, volunteer work, service learning, and/or paid work.  Write a one page summary of a professional experience you have had.  Include highlights from the experience, such as making new connections, learning new skills, etc.

Chapter 8 Early Childhood and the Family

Discussion questions and activities

1. Physical development during early childhood includes the development of motor skills.  Visit a park or school to observe young children playing.  Make note of the motor skills you observe.  Classify the skills as gross motor or fine.  Are their noticeable differences between age levels or sex?
2. Theory of mind is the understanding that other people have thoughts, feelings, ideas, plans and beliefs different form our own.  Children begin to develop theory of mind in early childhood.  Create questions you could ask a young child to determine if they have developed theory of mind.  If possible, ask a young child the questions and write a reflection on the child’s theory of mind.
3. Parental self-efficacy is the parents’ beliefs about their own ability to parent effectively.  Research has determined that parental self-efficacy influences the quality of parenting behavior.  Talk to your parent, parents or caregivers who raised you as a child.  Ask them to reflect on their parental self-efficacy when you were a young child.  Did they have high/low self-efficacy? 

Chapter 9 Family and Childhood

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Family and Childhood ?”

1. In the United States, the middle childhood years loosely correspond with elementary school.  Many parents send their children to the closest public school, but there are other options available.  Besides public schools, parents can chose to send their children to charter schools, private schools, online schools, or home school.  There are advantages and disadvantages to any of these elementary school options.
2. You are the parent of a 5-year-old child who is preparing to enter kindergarten.  Which elementary school option would you choose for your child?  Do some research online about the different options for elementary schools. Write a brief summary of the option you would chose for your child.  Based on what you have learned about physical, intellectual, and emotional development during childhood, why do you believe this would be the best option for your child? 
3. Parental involvement in children’s education has a positive influence on children’s academic achievement.  Local Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) can be found on the National PTA website (www.pta.org).  Contact your local PTA and ask for information on how they encourage parent involvement in your school district.  Are they incorporating parent involvement techniques discussed in the chapter?  Can you think of additional parent involvement techniques your local PTA could adopt?
4. Visit the Common Core State Standards website (www.corestandards.org).  Read the What Parents Should Know>Myths vs. Facts.  After reading this section, have your thoughts about the common core state standards changed?  If so, how?

Chapter 10 Family and Adolescence

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn from “Family and Adolescence ?”

1. Adolescents strive for increasing autonomy, or independence.  This can create a paradox of increased closeness and conflict for many families.  Reflect on your adolescence.  Write about an instance when you strove for independence, and share how your family responded.
2. The invincibility fable refers to seemingly reckless decisions made during adolescence, such as engaging in unsafe sex, driving too fast, or drinking too much.  The immaturity of the prefrontal cortex contributes to beliefs commonly held by adolescents that they are somehow invincible.  Search online for teens engaging in reckless behavior.  How does the invincibility fable play a role in the behaviors?
3. Problems during adolescence include depression, substance abuse, and antisocial behavior/delinquency.  Choose one of the adolescent problem behaviors and conduct an online search regarding the prevalence of the adolescent problem.  Reflect on what you had thought about the problem prior to the search.  What new information did you learn?  How does the problem behavior impact the family system?

Chapter 11 Family and Adulthood

Discussion questions and activities

What have you learned about “Family and Adulthood ?”

1. Cohabitation and marriage are discussed in the chapter.  This is a current area of research and study in adulthood.  Reflect on your thoughts about cohabitation and marriage.  After reading the chapter, what are your thoughts about cohabitation and marriage?  Can you determine some pros and cons to both?
2. Intergenerational solidarity is used to explain the continued links between parents and adult children.  It is a multidimensional concept that examines emotional closeness, agreement in values, time spent together, exchange of emotional and practical support, expectations of support, and structural factors which facilitate interactions.  Reflect on the intergenerational solidarity of your own family.  What are ways that families can strengthen their intergenerational solidarity?
3. Work–life balance refers to the struggle to meet the demands of work and other life domains.  Write down the activities you perform from waking-up until going to sleep for the work week.  How much of your day is spent on work?  How much is spent on other life domains?  Is there a balance or an imbalance?   

Chapter 12 Family and Late Adulthood

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn about “Family and Late Adulthood?”

1. Do you have a grandparent or older adult in your life that you could talk to?  Arrange some time to ask them for words of wisdom.  What are some of the most important lessons he or she has learned in his or her lifetime?
2. A “bucket list” is a list of experiences a person hopes to accomplish during their lifetime.  Create your own bucket list.  Why are these experiences important to you? 
3. Economic insecurity is a challenge faced by millions of adults over age 60 with incomes below $29,425 per year.  This equates to $2,452.08 per month.  Create a budget of expenses necessary for survival each month.  Include items such as housing, transportation, food, insurance, medical expenses, etc.  How realistic is it for older adults to live well within this budget?  How does this economic insecurity challenge impact older adults’ quality of life?

Chapter 13 Diverse Families

Discussion questions and activities

What have you learned about “Diverse Families?”

1. Have an experience with a culture other than your own.  For example, you can attend a community event, visit a market, or dine at a restaurant.  Reflect on your experience.  What is something new you learned about the culture that you didn’t know prior to the experience? 
2. Reflect on your family’s cultural history.  Interview family members to learn more about your cultural history.  What are some traditional values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors you practice? 
3. Diversity is a term used to describe the variety of dynamics and evolving backgrounds and contexts that people experience, including ability and disability.  Higher education institutions have disability resource centers to offer a range of support services and accommodations for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities.  Visit your institution’s disability resource center to learn about the available support services. 

Chapter 14 Family Strengths

Discussion questions and activities

What did you learn about “Family Strengths?”

1. When you think of a “strong” family, what comes to mind?  Think about your own family.  What are the strengths your family has?  How can these strengths help you in times of adversity?
2. Family processes are the relationships and patterns of interactions families engage in as they go about their day-to-day routines.  Examine your day-to-day routines.  Identify some of your family’s processes.  If possible, examine a different family’s day-to-day routine.  Identify some of their family’s processes.  Are there any similarities or differences?  Why are family processes considered to be the heart of family strengths?
3. A strengths-based perspective does not mean that stress and challenges are ignored or minimized.  What are stresses and challenges that your family has?  How can recognizing stresses and challenges help to build family strengths?