Studies indicated differences between transnational family life for migrant mothers andfathers and that the effects on their "left-behind" children differ according to who migrates. Yet little is known about why these differences exist. This paper aims to fill this gap by comparing transnational and nontransnational African families with parents living in Europe to understand their different family structures. We analyse three datasets with information on migrants from five African origin countries in eight European countries.Our analyses reveal important differences between transnational and nontransnational families and between transnational mothers and fathers. Transnational mothers are more often single, have children from multiple relationships, and start family life earlier than transnational fathers and nontransnational parents. This corresponds closely to what family sociologists have found make "fragile families" among nonmigrants. Our work thus indicates that policies aiming to improve migrants' lives need to consider the disadvantages that particularly migrant women experience in maintaining their family life.

This article examines the determinants of return of Senegalese, Ghanaian and Congolese migrants in Europe, and the extent to which their return decisions were linked to reasons and circumstances of their initial migration to Europe. We utilize the retrospective life history data collected by the MAFE Project in Senegal, Ghana and DR Congo and six European countries in order to understand whether and how changing conditions in both origin and destination countries, including policies, affect the migration dynamics between SubSaharan Africa and Europe. The results show how the high cost entailed by this type of transcontinental long distance migration,

No abstract

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is nowadays commonly implemented in medical education. Mostly PAL is utilized to specifically support teaching within one subject or a specific curricular situation. Here, we present a large-scale peer teaching program that aims to address the individual student's learning needs. In addition, it provides a platform for students to participate in academic teaching. A retrospective data analysis was performed to reveal the program's development and acceptance. The program was implemented in 2008/09 with three tutorials conducted by 24 student tutors to support students preparing for reexaminations. Since then, the program has continuously grown. In 2015/16, 140 tutors conducted 52 tutorials, consisting of 2,750 lessons for 1,938 tutees. New tutorial categories were continuously introduced. In 2015/16, these encompassed tutorials that were held concomitantly to the formal curriculum, tutorials that exceeded the contents of the formal curriculum, tutorials for preparation for the state examination, and electives. Evaluations among the tutees revealed that 93.5% of the respondents rated the courses overall as "good" or "excellent" ( n = 13,489) in 2015/16. All elements of the peer teaching program are managed by one academic group. This encompasses the organization of tutorials, the quality management, and the qualification of tutors, including content-related supervision and didactic training. We conclude that the implementation of a large-scale peer teaching program can complement the formal curriculum. This might be beneficial for both tutors who can actively train their didactic and content-related competencies, and tutees who can autonomously consolidate and expand their knowledge.

This article examines the fertility preferences of Latin American adolescents of the 1.5 generation and their native peers in Spain. We compare their expected age at first birth as well as their expected family size. The fertility preferences of the 1.5 generation are likely to reflect the family values of two different socialization environments as well as the adaptation process to the childbearing norms of the host society. The analysis is based on the Chances Survey, which collected data from 2700 adolescents in secondary schools in Madrid in 2011. Results indicate that fertility timing preferences of Latin American adolescents reflect socialization influences from the society of origin, but also a quick adaptation to the childbearing norms in the host society, since their expected age at first birth is somewhat earlier than that of their Spanish peers but considerably later than that prevailing in their country of origin. The degree of social integration, measured by the number of the respondent's best friends who were Spanish, seems more important than age at migration for diminishing the gap between Latin Americans and Spaniards. Moreover, higher educational expectations are associated with preferences for postponed entry into parenthood. With regard to family size expectations, we find no significant variation between adolescents of migrant and native origin, confirming the argument that the ''two-child norm'' currently prevails in both middle-and high-income countries.