Understanding and Parenting Children's Noncompliant Behavior: The Efficacy of an Online Training Workshop for Resource Parents.

The current study examined the effectiveness of an online training program on parenting children's noncompliant behavior. Eighty-two resource parents (foster, adoptive, and kinship) were recruited through Foster Parent College-an online training website-and randomly assigned to a treatment or wait-list control group. Parents in the treatment group participated in an online interactive workshop on noncompliant child behavior. Online assessments occurred before and after a 1-week intervention, and again 3 months later. Group differences at posttest were significant for parents' reports of children's positive behavior and parent knowledge related to children's noncompliant behavior. Only parents in the treatment group showed significant improvement from pre- to posttest on several other outcome measures of parenting noncompliant behavior. Satisfaction with the online workshop at posttest was very high. Results at the 3-month follow-up assessment showed significant group differences only for parents' knowledge about children's noncompliant behavior. Feedback on the workshop remained positive, with treatment group parents indicating that they felt the workshop had beneficially impacted their parenting and their children's behavior.

Efficacy of Blended Preservice Training for Resource Parents.

To evaluate a new way of meeting the growing demand for training prospective resource parents, our study compared the efficacy of a blended online and in-person approach with a traditional classroom-only approach. Findings based on a sample of 111 resource parent prospects showed significantly greater gains in knowledge from pre- to posttest for the blended approach over the classroom-only approach. The blended approach also produced dramatically lower dropout rates during preservice training. Both groups made significant gains in parenting awareness from pre to post, but those gains were greater for the classroom-only approach. Post hoc analyses examined this finding more closely. Satisfaction with training was comparably high for both groups. Gains in knowledge and awareness were sustained at a 3-month follow-up assessment.

Web-Enhanced Preservice Training for Prospective Resource Parents: A Randomized Trial of Effectiveness and User Satisfaction.

Traditionally, prospective resource parents must attend all preservice training in person. While live sessions are necessary for activities such as screening applicants, instructional portions of training could be enhanced by web-based sessions. This pilot study compares the effectiveness of online and classroom versions of one session from a widely used preservice training program. Ninety-two individuals who volunteered to complete the program in two states were randomly assigned to a treatment group that viewed an online version of the class on child abuse and neglect or a comparison group that took the same class in person. Written questionnaires were completed before and after the class. Significant group differences on knowledge of child maltreatment and empathy toward birth parents, plus high user satisfaction, were hypothesized. ANCOVA results showed the online training was more effective than the live training at increasing knowledge. MANCOVA findings on empathy were not significant but trended toward greater empathy for the online group. Feedback indicated high satisfaction with the online course. If supported by future research, the finding that online instruction is more effective than live has positive implications for practice, because web-based training offers advantages like standardizing instruction, cutting agency and trainee costs, and providing greater flexibility.

Validation of Acceptance of Coercive Sexual Behavior (ACSB): a multimedia measure of adolescent dating attitudes.

The psychometric properties of the Acceptance of Coercive Sexual Behavior (ACSB), a multimedia measure of adolescent dating attitudes, were examined. The ACSB is an interactive instrument that uses video vignettes to depict adolescent dating situations. Analyses of the measure's factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity were conducted with separate samples of male (n = 106) and female (n = 114) high school students. Validity was evaluated in relation to subscales on the Sexual Attitudes Survey and self-reports of dating and sexual experiences. Factor analyses on the ACSB yielded two factors, Coercion and Consent. The ACSB demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. Advantages of using a multimedia assessment of sexually coercive attitudes with adolescents are discussed.

Vstreet.com: a web-based community for at-risk teens.

Most teens leaving the care of an agency are woefully unprepared and unsupported. Current approaches to aftercare are expensive and difficult to implement. This study evaluated a prototype version of Vstreet.com, an innovative website for at-risk youth designed to teach lifeskills and build community. Findings from a sample of youth in the Job Corps showed that the website was highly effective in increasing their knowledge of apartment hunting skills, feelings of peer social support, and intentions of staying in touch with their agency.