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Home > Parent Education > What the Research Shows
Parent Education
Issue Brief
Author(s): Child Welfare Information Gateway
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| Year Published: 2008 |
What the Research Shows
Program characteristics and specific training strategies are both key considerations when selecting a parent education program. Program characteristics refer to broader aspects of a program, such as theoretical grounding or how the program is structured, staffed, and evaluated. Training strategies refer to specific teaching methods that have been found to be effective in working directly with parents.
Key Program Characteristics
The following characteristics have been found to be strong predictors of program effectiveness:
Strength-based focus. A large body of research supports the emphasis on family interventions and education programs that focus on family strengths and resilience instead of family weaknesses. This approach reinforces existing protective factors to prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 2003).
Family-centered practice. Family-centered parent training programs include family skills training and family activities to help children and parents communicate effectively and take advantage of concrete social supports. Family-centered programs also seek to develop training strategies that are culturally appropriate and consistent with the beliefs and principles of families and their communities (Colosi & Dunifon, 2003).
Individual and group approaches. Evidence suggests that a combination of individual and group parent training is the most effective approach when building skills that emphasize social connections and parents' ability to access social supports. However, the individual approach was found to be more effective when serving families in need of specific or tailored services (Lundahl, Nimer, & Parsons, 2006).
Qualified staff. Program success is in large part dependent on qualified staff. Program staff should have a sound theoretical grounding as well as hands-on experience in the classroom or working with families and groups in different settings. Staff also should be able to provide culturally competent services consistent with the values of the family and the community.
Targeted service groups. Learning is enhanced when the participants of each program include a clearly defined group of people with common needs or identifying characteristics (Colosi & Dunifon, 2003). Group characteristics, such as high risk families or working versus nonworking parents, also can help determine the appropriate program duration and intensity (Brown, 2005).
Clear program goals and continuous evaluation. Successful programs maintain individualized and group plans developed in partnership with participants. Progress toward program goals is routinely and effectively evaluated by aggregate analyses using both quantitative and qualitative research methods consistent with the services offered. In addition, these programs have an effective process for gathering consumer feedback and use this information, along with outcome-based evaluation efforts, for continuous quality improvement.
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Parent Training Strategies
The following parent training strategies may be employed in a variety of service settings and with multiple target populations. These strategies reinforce protective factors and can be adapted as appropriate to fit program and participant needs.
Encourage peer support. Programs that offer opportunities for parental peer support have a positive impact on children's cognitive outcomes. Peer support also strengthens family bonds and gives parents an opportunity to share their experiences in constructive settings (Layzer, Goodson, Bernstein, & Price, 2001).
Involve fathers. Research indicates that father involvement in parent training leads to better outcomes and promotes family cooperation and cohesion. Excluding fathers from parent training programs decreases the likelihood of success (Lundahl, Tollefson, Risser, & Lovejoy, 2007).
Promote positive family interaction. Promoting family relationships is a key component of parent education programs and involves strategies to improve family interaction, communication, and parental supervision. Increasing positive parent-child interactions has been found to be associated with larger effects on measures of enhanced parenting behaviors (Kaminski, Valle, Filene, & Boyle, 2008). Strengthening marriages also plays a part in achieving positive family interaction (Brown, 2005).
Use interactive training techniques. Interactive methods, as opposed to didactic lecturing, are a key aspect of successful parent education programs and include activities such as group discussion, role playing, active modeling, homework exercises, and reviewing videos of effective parenting approaches (Brown, 2005).
Provide opportunities to practice new skills. Requiring parents to practice new skills with their children during parent training sessions is consistently associated with greater effectiveness of parent education programs. Specific skills associated with larger effects on parent and child behavior include emotional communication skills, the use of time-out, and parenting consistency. These were found to be more effective than other common strategies, such as teaching parents problem-solving skills or ways to promote children's cognitive, academic, or social skills (Kaminski et al., 2008; Lundahl & Harris, 2006).
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Examples and resources in this document are informational only and
do not represent an endorsement by the Children's Bureau.
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.
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