AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE FAMILY EMOTIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Abstract
The goal of this project is to integrate the fields of family enrichment and lay tutoring into one program designed to enhance the family's ability to serve as an educational and emotional resource for family members. A family enrichment program was developed and targeted at families with at least one child in either the first- or second-grade and was combined with a structured program designed to teach parents how to tutor their primary grade child in basic reading skills. This family enrichment-tutoring program is compared to a family enrichment-without-tutoring program, a tutoring-without-enrichment program, and a no-treatment group on the dependent variables of family cohesion, self-concept, marital functioning, and academic achievement. Nineteen families, who were quite heterogeneous demographically, volunteered for the project and were randomly assigned to the treatments. No significant differences were found between treatment groups and the no-treatment group, possibly due to a high attrition rate. A questionnaire was developed to assess the reasons for the attrition and a number of significant Pearson correlations were discovered between demographic variables, attendance, satisfaction, and comfort with various components of the enrichment program. Educational level was positively correlated with attendance, satisfaction, and comfort with the program for husbands and wives (.05 level). Attendance and satisfaction correlated with the level of comfort experienced with the various components of the enrichment for husbands (.05 level). Differences between husbands and wives were found using t-tests. The results highlight the need for program leaders to conduct pre-program interviews with both parents potentially interested in participating. This study also suggests the importance of addressing the concerns of husbands, since they were less likely to attend, be satisfied with the program, and feel comfortable with the personal nature of the program.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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