Family Science
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2239
Formerly known as the Department of Family Studies.
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item STANDARDS OF LIVING OF MARYLAND FARM FAMILIES(1938) Teeter, Viola; Metzger, J.E.; Welsh, Claribel; DeVault, S.H.; Family Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)This thesis represents the results of a standard of living study of seventy-two farm families in Carroll County, Maryland, for the year beginning in the summer of 1936 and ending in the summer of 1937. The data were collected in the summer of 1937. Carroll County is located in the northern part of the state and borders on Frederick County on the west, Howard County to the south, Baltimore County on the east and borders on Pennsylvania to the north. See Figure 1. The county is very irregular and comprises an area of 447 square miles of 286,080 acres. Topographically, the land is gently rolling to hilly with many streams. There is an excellent drainage system in the county. The area is adapted to the production of field corn, sugar corn, and other general crops, being a fertile agricultural region. Oil of Chenopodium or "worm seed oil" has been produced on many of the farms in Carroll County for the past 100 years, and is a very lucrative crop. Dairying is the principle type of farming in the county. Even though the county is definitely agricultural, several clothing, shoe, and canning factories, and a distillery flourish, thus supplying a ready market for farm produce. The county has an excellent system of public records and is served by three railways-- the Baltimore and Ohio, Western Maryland, and the Pennsylvania. No part of the county is over ten miles from a railroad. It has a splendid home market and is ideally located in relation to two of the principle markets of the East, Baltimore, and Washington. There are two local colleges to serve the youth of the county-- Blue Ridge College, located at New Windsor, and Western Maryland College, located at Westminster. The average acreage per farm was 106 acres, of which 83 acres were under cultivation. The number of tenant farms surveyed was so few that no breakdown of farms was made on an owner-operated and tenant-operated basis. The analysis was based on averages for all farms. The length of tenure on the same farm varied from 1 year to 54 years, the average tenure being 20 years. Distribution of families by length of tenure on the same farm is shown in Table 1. The purpose of the study was to determine as accurately as possible the amount of cash available for family living; now the farm families use their incomes; to judge their standards of living; and determine the adequacy of their diets according to accepted standards. The information was obtained by means of a questionnaire and a personal interview with each family. The questionnaire, or schedule, was explained and was left with the homemaker and farm operator, so that an accurate record of food consumed by the family during the week, and number of meals served to individual members of the household could be recorded. At the end of the week the worker returned for the schedule and recorded the data as given by the homemaker and farm operator.Item Physical and Psychological Adjustments Associated with Home and Family Management Problems of Selected Normal and Handicapped Homemakers(1963) Lacy, Julia Carter; Lippeatt, Selma F.; Family Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was to determine some physical and psychological adjustments associated with home and family management problems of homemakers. The hypotheses formulated were: (1) There is no significant difference between the experimental and control groups either in the number of responses made or the intensity of attitude expressed toward physical disability, homemaker's role, family life, or life in general; (2) there is no significant difference between paired subjects with respect to their attitude toward these aforementioned factors; and (3) there is no correlation between the duration of the disability and attitudes expressed toward these identical factors. The experimental group consisted of ten physically-disabled homemakers, while the control group was comprised of ten normal ones, all between the ages of twenty and fifty. Personal interviews and case studies were utilized to collect data concerning physical and psychological adjustments of test subjects. Two somewhat structured interviews were conducted in the home of each subject. Data were tabulated and treated statistically. Major findings indicate that: (1) The two groups did not differ in intensity of attitude toward selected aspects of personal and family life; (2) paired test subjects were not significantly different in their attitudes toward selected aspects of personal and family life; and (3) disabled homemakers related the duration of disability to attitudes toward their disability and selected aspects of personal and family living. Two conclusions were drawn, namely: (1) Those homemakers who reflected the greatest insight into educational opportunities for the handicapped tended to reflect better understanding of inherent problems and to have more wholesome attitudes toward life in general, and (2) disabled homemakers were approachable in terms of assistance needed to strengthen management practices, and sought resources available to them. In light of the findings and conclusions, the following implications for further study are identified: (1) Experimental use of specifically trained management aides to implement multiple-purpose programs to assist disabled homemakers; (2) experimentation to provide maximum help to families confronted with temporary disability; and (3) investigation to test for specific changes in attitudes in light of given conditions. This study points up the nature and extent of problems faced by disabled homemakers and their interest and concern for specific professional help in their day-to-day living experiences.Item The Sharing of Family Tasks and Role Strain in the Commuter Marriage(1984) Spruill, Jane Woodley; Anderson, Elaine A.; Family Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was to examine the husband - wife sharing of family tasks and the presence of role strain in a selected sample of commuter marriages. Thirty-nine commuter couples located geographically throughout the United States participated in the study. The mean score of the sharing of family tasks was 2.99 which indicated that family tasks in commuter couples were shared equally. However in examining tasks individually, wives seemed to have more responsibility. The correlation between the length of marriage when the commute began and role strain was significant. The distance of the commute and role strain did not correlate. No significant difference was found among groups based upon how often a couple reunites and how they shared travel time. There was also no significant difference between those individuals with dependent children and those without dependent children, although there was some indication that role strain was higher for individuals with preschool children. It was concluded that commuter couples may be nontraditional in choosing their lifestyle but they still seem somewhat traditional in the sharing of family tasks. An established relationship between spouses is important if a couple is contemplating commuting. The distance of the commute and how often a couple reunites did not seem to affect the level of role strain. Although t he sharing of travel time and the stage of the family life cycle indicated no significant effect on role strain, differences in means indicate t ha t couples may want to consider these factors in making the decision t o commute.Item Strategies Used by African American Fathers to Protect their Children from Community Violence(1999) Letiecq, Bethany L.; Koblinsky, Sally A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purposes of this study were to identify the strategies used by African American fathers to protect their Head Start children from community violence and to examine individual, familial, and community-level predictors of those strategies. There were two phases to the study. In Phase I, three focus groups were conducted with a total of 18 fathers and father-figures residing in targeted Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, MD neighborhoods to qualitatively identify the protective strategies used by fathers. Content analysis of focus group data revealed twelve general strategies: 1) supervising children; 2) teaching neighborhood/ household safety skills; 3) teaching about real-life violence and its consequences; 4) teaching how to fight back; 5) teaching alternatives to violence; 6) reducing exposure to media violence; 7) confronting troublemakers; 8) keeping to oneself; 9) using prayer and positive thinking; 10) arming family for protection; 11) moving away from bad residential areas; and 12) engaging in community activism. During Phase I, this study also collaborated with an U.S. Department of Education study to develop a new measure, the "Parenting in Violent Neighborhoods Scale." During Phase II, 61 biological and social African American fathers of Head Start children were interviewed by trained African American male interviewers. Using the new quantitative measure developed in Phase I, fathers reported on their frequency of using various strategies to protect children from neighborhood dangers. Correlation matrices and factor analysis were used to refine the measure, producing five subscales of protective strategies. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the best predictors (e.g., psychological well-being, history of violence exposure, parenting practices, social support, and child's sex) of paternal strategies. Fathers were found to employ five major protective strategies: supervise children and teach personal safety; teach home and neighborhood safety; reduce exposure to violent media; arm and protect family; and engage in community activism. Authoritative and permissive parenting practices, depression, and social support predicted use of supervision and teaching personal safety. Authoritative parenting, permissiveness, and depression also predicted father's likelihood of teaching children home and neighborhood safety. Child's sex was the only predictor of "reduce exposure to violent media," with fathers of sons more likely to reduce exposure. Depression and social support were the best predictors of father's likelihood of arming and protecting his family. Lastly, authoritative parenting practices and social support predicted father's engagement in community activism. Implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are discussed.