Practices and Effects of Home Education in the United States of America A Synthesis of Recent Research

The home-education phenomenon within the United States has increased in popularity within recent years. The research literature on home education also has expanded beyond the few, isolated studies of a generation ago. Profiles emerging from the recent research suggest that home-education families vary considerably in ideology and are more affluent and better educated than average. The growing body of literature continues to confirm that the cognitive and affective effects of home education compare favorably with conventional schooling.     

Systems design in the development of counseling and guidance programs

This article discusses problems in developing counseling and guidance programs. The systems approach is presented as an approach founded on scientifically based principles which counselors might consider in planning effective and efficient programs. The systems concept, analysis and synthesis, systems design, behavioral objectives, feedback, and flowcharting are briefly explained, followed by the application of the systems technique for a generalized model for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of a counseling and guidance program.     

Do Parents Know Best? Examining the Relationship Between Parenting Profiles,Prevention Efforts,and Peak Drinking in College Students1

The study examined parent profiles among high school athletes transitioning to college and their association with high‐risk drinking in a multi‐site, randomized trial. Students (n = 587) were randomized to a control or combined parent‐based and brief motivational intervention condition and completed measures at baseline and at 5‐ and 10‐month follow‐ups. Four parent profiles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, indifferent) were observed among participants. Findings indicated control participants with authoritarian parenting were at the greatest risk for heavy drinking. Alternately, students exposed to permissive or authoritarian parenting reported lower peak drinking when administered the combined intervention, compared to controls. Findings suggest the combined intervention was efficacious in reducing peak alcohol consumption among high‐risk students based on athlete status and parenting profiles.     

NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS: PARAMETERS OF BIODATA INVASIVENESS

In this research, biodata items were evaluated for their perceived invasiveness by over 200 professionals (psychologists and social scientists), as well as three samples of nonprofessionals. In addition to item subject matter, perceived invasiveness of items was related to various biodata attributes, in that items that were more verifiable, more transparent in purpose, and more impersonal were seen as less invasive. Subjects with more positive attitudes toward biodata and organizational selection measures viewed fewer items as invasive, as did those with more education. Dispositional variables and gender were related to invasiveness perceptions in some samples. Four general motives or topics were determined to generate the greatest concern: fear of stigmatization, concern about having applicants recall traumatic events, intimacy, and religion. The results may help develop consensus about defining "invasive" and contribute to ways of reducing perceptions of invasiveness.