Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Clinical Homework Directives: A Qualitative Exploratory Study, Emil F. Harker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A qualitative study was conducted to better understand how marriage and family therapists use homework directives in their work with couples. Eleven therapists of different marital therapy orientations were interviewed. Remarkably, all of the therapists reported using clinical homework directives in their practice with couples, including those clinicians who primarily identify themselves with psychodynamic models- -models that do not typically include homework in their constructs. Four themes emerged as to why homework is given: (a) to augment or extend the therapy session outside of therapy, (b) to help the clients focus on the therapy process between session, (c) to assess …

Mentoring At-Risk Youth: An Intervention For Skill Building In Problem Solving, Decision Making, And Conflict Resolution, Deborah J. Heater

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low interpersonal skill level in younger youth has shown to lead to higher rates of delinquent behavior in older adolescents. Utah State University Extension established a program titled Youth and Families with Promise (YFP). This is a research-based mentoring program where mentors were screened, matched to individual youth, and activities planned that focus on 8 of the Search Institute's 40 assets. The program provided services for 156 at-risk youth ages 7 to 16 in six Utah counties, 66 of whom completed a pretest and posttest assessment. This research-based, intervention/prevention program has shown that the interventions used were effective in building …

Transitions During University Life: Academic Persistence For Married And Single Students, Sandra A. Krambule

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to look at the many factors that influence the transition to college life and academic persistence within the family life cycle framework using the ABCD-XYZ model of resource management. The sample included 348 students with declared minors within the College of Family Life. The dependent measure was student persistence in college. Independent variables included academic and institutional factors, gender and marital factors, family academic traditions, student motivation and commitment, self-esteem, stress factors, and social support. The results of this study indicate that the persistence variables chosen were better able to predict those who remain in school …

Family Leadership: Constructing And Testing A Theoretical Model Of Family Well-Being, Kevin A. Galbraith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Leadership in organizational contexts has received considerable attention through the years. Although much is known about what constitutes effective leadership in an organizational setting, little is known about leadership as it pertains to the family. To address this limitation, a theoretical model of family leadership was developed. This model draws on transformational leadership and proposes five areas in which leadership could be carried out to lead and strengthen the family unit. These five areas include (1) leading the family with a vision, (2) maintaining a task orientation, (3) fostering close familial relationships, (4) establishing cooperation and teamwork, and (5) building …

Children's Stress Behaviors And Developmentally Appropriate Practice In Family Child Care Homes, Chih-Ying Chang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated and qualitatively compared differences in children's stress reactions across two levels of developmentally appropriate practice in family child care homes. Data were collected through observations.

Six children, five boys and one girl from six different family child care homes, between the ages of 36 and 60 months, were observed for the type and frequency of stress behaviors. The six family child care homes were divided into two groups based on more or less use of appropriate practices, and they were observed for the use of appropriate practices. Three one-hour observations were held in each family child care …