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    Child, Family, and Community

    (13 reviews)

    Rebecca Laff

    Wendy Ruiz

    Copyright Year:

    Publisher: College of the Canyons

    Language: English

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    CC BY

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    Reviewed by Melissa Mack, Adjunct Faculty, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 7/8/24

    This textbook is a good introductory piece for families and society courses. This could also be a supplemental reading for Intro to Sociology courses as it covers topics such as: culture, socialization, gender, and touches on racial issues. The... read more

    Reviewed by Anne Gritt, Clinical Assistant Professor, Purdue University on 11/1/23

    I have been looking for a text to add to my course, an introduction to clinical practice in speech-language pathology. While this text is meant for early childhood educators, it would work well as a supplement to my course modules on cultural... read more

    Reviewed by Kerry Y, Early Childhood Education Faculty, St. Cloud Technical & Community College on 5/19/23

    There are some areas covered in my course that I was not able to use this text for: Maslow's Theories and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. There is no index or glossary included, though terms are defined in the context of reading. read more

    Reviewed by Ida Weldon, Assistant Professor, Bunker Hill Community College on 3/10/23

    The author presents an inclusive framework referencing various ethnic and cultural groups. However, the discussion of the various groups seems cursory with the primary focus on white middle-class European families. The text might benefit from a... read more

    Reviewed by Dan Moen, Professor, Minnesota State University Mankato on 11/15/22

    I appreciate the infusion of theory and diversity, equity, inclusion components that the authors provide. For an introductory-focused text, there could be more of a focus on romantic relationships/mate-selection/dating/long-term relationships,... read more

    Reviewed by Robbin Miller, Adjunct Faculty, Quinsigamond Community College on 6/9/21

    The textbook can used for an Introductory class for students interested in the Human Service/Helping Professions. The textbook covers all topics related to children and families in their communities. The language is pretty simple to understand and... read more

    Reviewed by Katie Swart, Assistant Professor, College of Charleston on 2/18/21

    The text is appropriate for an introductory course on families. It covers an array of topics and provides definitions for important terms. A glossary of terms is recommended. read more

    Reviewed by Kanoe Bunney, Education Program Lead, Lane Community College on 1/6/21

    The book covers parenting styles, alternative types of families, cultural connections and multiple viewpoints. It doesn’t include a glossary of terms, rather, it explains the terms in context. A practical feature of this book is that it includes... read more

    Reviewed by Dorothy Shapland, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 9/1/20

    This text provides a very comprehensive background in family and child theories. It is lacking some depth in terms of practical applications, and does not go as far as to talk about social policy and the impact of family advocacy on local, state... read more

    Reviewed by Monica Olvera, Instructor, Oregon State University on 7/25/20

    This book would be good for an introductory class on family, school, and community collaboration. It provides comprehensive, but limited information on matters of child development, parenting, socialization, culture, family empowerment, and how... read more

    Reviewed by Eunice Brekke, Associate Professor, Leeward Community College on 7/10/20

    This is a solid foundational text for a Sociology of Family course. Although there is not an index or glossary, the table of contents makes this text easy to navigate. Particularly impressive are the chapters on theory, socialization, and gender.... read more

    Reviewed by Katie Cali, Instructor, NTCC on 4/26/20

    This textbook covered topics such as socialization, culture, parenting styles, and gender, but I also noticed a few important concepts that were not discussed: intimate partner violence, 5 Myths of the Family, and infertility. Despite this, the... read more

    Reviewed by Ruthann Arneson, Assistant Professor, Marshall University on 3/9/20

    This text provides a comprehensive look at family theory, the family as an agent of socialization, and the importance of culture and diversity. It provides a good overview of parenting and how educators can develop positive relationships with... read more

    Table of Contents

    • Chapter 1: Theories That Help Us Understand Families
    • Chapter 2: How Children Learn and Understand Their World
    • Chapter 3: What is Culture and Why is it Important?
    • Chapter 4: How Does Gender Influence Children, Families and Communities?
    • Chapter 5: What is a Family?
    • Chapter 6: A Closer Look at Parenting
    • Chapter 7: Building Trusting Collaborative Relationships with Families
    • Chapter 8: Welcoming & Supporting Families
    • Chapter 9: Creating Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships with Strengths-Based Attitudes and Relationship-Based Practices

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    About the Book

    Over the years researchers have found the necessity to develop theories of behavior that are specific to family settings. These theories have been developed by people with a variety of areas of emphasis, from family therapists to gerontologists to child development specialists. In this chapter we will briefly discuss six such theories: Bioecological Model, Family Systems, Functionalism, Conflict Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, and Psychological Perspectives.

    About the Contributors

    Authors

    Rebecca Laff

    Wendy Ruiz

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