Family consumer sciences education (FCS) has been incorporated into education since the beginning of the public education, but it is currently being undervalued and removed from the curriculum at schools and universities. The purpose of this project was to see what students value in FCS education, answering the questions: (a) do the students feel that they understand the content in their FCS classes? (b) do the students feel that they can perform and apply the skills learned in their classes? (c) what do the students believe is the most useful or valuable aspect of the class for home life? and (d) what do the students believe is the most useful or valuable aspect of the class currently or for the future workplace? A researcher-designed online survey using Google forms was completed by students during class time towards the end of the semester-long course. The survey contained both Likert-scaled and open-ended questions. A northern Utah public high school was selected comprising of five foods and nutrition classes. Participants were students ranging from 10-12th grades whose parents gave consent for participation. The results of the survey indicated that most of the students understood and applied the content learned. More than half of the students believed that the content and skills that they acquired in the class would be beneficial for the home and/or in the workplace. The data support that most of the students valued FCS education, and these basic life skills were necessary for their future.

"Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences provides an overview of the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) field to students entering the discipline in higher education. The purpose of FCS, what majors, minors, and certificates are available, and a description of college norms and expectations are described. Why do some students set career and life goals and fail at them and others set goals and achieve them? Understanding values and how they shape what goals are set in students' lives is explained as well as how successful people go about achieving their goals. Students ultimately learn how to set goals to guide their lives into the best direction for them to successfully achieve personal, financial, and career aspirations. Additionally, the history of Family and Consumer Sciences is explored to better understand how the field began and where it stands today. Current careers available in each area of FCS are looked at so students have an understanding of what opportunities are available once graduated in their specialization. Finally, a philosophical approach to the field is reviewed to gain insight as to why they personally are entering this field; what they have to offer the discipline and how that can be reciprocated by a satisfying and rewarding journey."--Back cover

This book is for use in professional development courses in Family and Consumer Sciences and other programs that have their roots in home economics (human ecology, human sciences, human environmental sciences, human resources). It features articles from issues of the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences 1995-2004. A select number of articles printed prior to 1995 have been included for their historical value or because they present an important concept or perspective.

The second edition of The Family in Global Perspective: A Gendered Journey explores the differences and similarities in family structures around the globe. Students learn how factors such as location, culture, and globalization influence how families function and also shape the unique experiences of family members. The lens is that of a gendered journey through which we see how families operate as a result of global forces. The book begins with a chapter featuring vignettes from the author's worldwide travels, emphasizing her observations regarding family life. Proceeding chapters examine the purposes and goals of family life, the history of the family in the West, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and how capitalism and power differentials impact family life. Students are provided with a theoretical understanding on families and information on how gender relations, race, ethnicity, class, and other structural conditions affect the family. The text addresses love, marriage, the end of relationships, intergenerational relations, refugees, immigrants, families of prisoners, violence, and domestic violence globally. The final chapter explores the impact of globalization and the future of the family, particularly as it relates to the impact of technology, religion, and social policies on family life The Family in Global Perspective effectively demonstrates how families around the world are impacted by social, economic, and political change. It is ideal for courses in family studies, sociology, global studies, cultural studies, social work, and counseling. For a look at the specific features and benefits of The Family in Global Perspective, visit cognella.com/the-family-in-global-perspective-features-and-benefits.

Scholars and practitioners in the fields of education and educational psychology have come to agree that conceptions of learning and teaching, student and teacher motivation, engagement, learning and teaching strategies, and by implication, student academic achievement and teacher effectiveness are also influenced by a sociocultural context where the schooling process takes place. This raises the question if educational psychology theorizing and findings can be adopted to inform and guide teaching and learning in different cultures. As such, there is a compelling and timely need for educational psychology researchers to harness advanced cross-cultural research designs and look at the different key facets of student and teacher academic careers from a cross-cultural perspective. Dennis McInerney is one of the key pioneering figures in cross-cultural educational psychology and has also edited a book series on Research on Sociocultural Influences on Motivation and Learning (Information Age Publishing). His ideas and research have inspired many to examine the role of sociocultural context in motivation and learning. This volume is a celebration of McInerney’s numerous and extensive contributions as a scholar, as well as an appreciation of his personal qualities that make him such an inspiring person. In this festschrift, the editors seek to extend the scholarly contributions of Dennis McInerney by inviting internationally recognized and leading educational psychology scholars who have inspired and been inspired by his work to re-examine their research expertise from a cross-cultural perspective. The volume aims to stimulate researchers, scholars, and graduate students in their endeavor to re-look their research from a cross-cultural lens.

Addresses a range of human diversity found in schools - including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, class, language, sexual orientation, and ability levels. Based on the assumption that change begins with the individual teacher, this text argues that prospective teachers need to incorporate issues of diversity in all of their work.

Student Success in College describes policies, programs, and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used to enhance student achievement. This book clearly shows the benefits of student learning and educational effectiveness that can be realized when these conditions are present. Based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, this book provides concrete examples from twenty institutions that other colleges and universities can learn from and adapt to help create a success-oriented campus culture and learning environment.

The concept of "funds of knowledge" is based on a simple premise: people are competent and have knowledge, and their life experiences have given them that knowledge. The claim in this book is that first-hand research experiences with families allow one to document this competence and knowledge, and that such engagement provides many possibilities for positive pedagogical actions. Drawing from both Vygotskian and neo-sociocultural perspectives in designing a methodology that views the everyday practices of language and action as constructing knowledge, the funds of knowledge approach facilitates a systematic and powerful way to represent communities in terms of the resources they possess and how to harness them for classroom teaching. This book accomplishes three objectives: It gives readers the basic methodology and techniques followed in the contributors' funds of knowledge research; it extends the boundaries of what these researchers have done; and it explores the applications to classroom practice that can result from teachers knowing the communities in which they work. In a time when national educational discourses focus on system reform and wholesale replicability across school sites, this book offers a counter-perspective stating that instruction must be linked to students' lives, and that details of effective pedagogy should be linked to local histories and community contexts. This approach should not be confused with parent participation programs, although that is often a fortuitous consequence of the work described. It is also not an attempt to teach parents "how to do school" although that could certainly be an outcome if the parents so desired. Instead, the funds of knowledge approach attempts to accomplish something that may be even more challenging: to alter the perceptions of working-class or poor communities by viewing their households primarily in terms of their strengths and resources, their defining pedagogical characteristics. Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms is a critically important volume for all teachers and teachers-to-be, and for researchers and graduate students of language, culture, and education.