Families & Technology
This project is focused on understanding how families are using technology and how technology impacts family relationships. There are two primary datasets. The first is a dyadic dataset of survey data collected from teens and their parents across the United States, exploring how technology is used for family communication and in support of family relationships. The second dataset includes interview data collected from college students about how they use technology to communicate with their families.
Disrupting the narrative: Creating healthy developmental trajectories through family school partnerships
This project is a partnership between FSoS and Extension (both Youth Development and Family Development). It has involved community based participatory action research, as well as a 4-H leadership series in partnership with a diverse school district and the district equity specialists. Youth were trained as researchers to interview their peers about how COVID-19 impacted family and school. Interview data from youth are currently being analyzed, and process documents are being developed to document this YPAR approach.
COVID-19: College parents speak out
A national study of parents of college students designed to understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the family’s role in their students’ college experiences. Specifically, we examined the effect of COVID-19 on students’ ability to continue their education; parents’ recommendations to their students related to continuing school; changes in family influence on such practical issues such as housing, commuting, online or alternative learning methods, transferring, and changing majors or career goals; parents’ opinion of the decisions schools are making; families’ satisfaction with and understanding of communications received from institutions. Parent were surveyed during summer and fall 2020 and fall 2021, with a subsample of parents who were surveyed at both time 1 and time 2.