This article is a qualitative review of 32 publications appearing since J. Bossard and E. Boll's (1950) seminal work on family rituals was conducted. Definitions are offered whereby a distinction is made between family routines as observable practices and family rituals as symbolic representations of collective events. The relative occurrence of family routines, as described in the literature, appears to follow a developmental course and is affected by the cultural environment. Family routines and rituals were found to be related to parenting competence, child adjustment, and marital satisfaction. The studies were limited by inconsistent methods of assessing family routines, reliance on samples of convenience, and a failure to distinguish between direct and indirect effects. Recommendations are made to better integrate theory with empirical efforts to demonstrate the importance of family routines and rituals in contemporary life.Over 50 years ago, Bossard and Boll (1950) conducted an extensive qualitative study of family rituals. Through detailed analyses of diaries, interviews, and family memorabilia, they concluded that rituals were powerful organizers of family life, supporting its stability during times of stress and transition. Since that time, family rituals have sparked the interest of researchers and clinicians alike, although for apparently different reasons. Whereas much of the empirical literature is directed toward identifying rituals as naturally occurring events in families, the clinical literature is focused on the therapeutic benefit of rituals. The focus of this review is on naturally occurring routines and rituals and their functions in families during the last half of the 20th century. We limit our review to research of these activities in relatively healthy families in order to chart how they are a part of patterned group interactions, fluctuate across the life cycle, and are related to individual health and well-being. An examination of naturally occurring routines and rituals may inform subsequent reviews and research directed toward the therapeutic value of family rituals.There are several reasons why we believe that the study of family routines and rituals is important. First, such study represents a focus on whole family process. A recurring problem in family research is gaining access to how the family, as a group, is organized and finds meaning as a collective unit. Typically, subsystems of the family are studied (e.g., husband-wife; parent-child), and attempts are made to extrapolate to the larger system. With a few notable exceptions (cf. McHale & Cowan, 1996), the whole is considered separate from its individual parts. By definition, family routines and rituals involve multiple family members, with only family rituals serving to provide meaning to group activities. Second, family routines and rituals are embedded in the cultural and ecological context of family life. As we demonstrate in this review, there are significant cultural variations in the practice of family rituals that ai...
This study examined the relation between marital satisfaction and religious holiday ritual practices. One hundred twenty couples, married 9 years on average, completed measures of religious holiday practices (current family and family-of-origin) and marital satisfaction. Couples were interviewed about how important religion was to their family life. Marital satisfaction was related to religious holiday rituals beyond a global indication of religiousness. A different pattern was found for husbands and wives, with husbands' satisfaction more closely linked to ritual meaning and wives' satisfaction associated with routine practices. Family-of-origin rituals were connected across generations. Wives' marital satisfaction was related to husbands' report of religious holiday rituals but not the converse. Results are discussed in terms of how rituals affirm relationships, connect values and beliefs, and may have differential meaning for men and women.
Teaching researchers commonly employ group-based collaborative learning approaches in Teaching of Psychology teaching activities. However, the authors know relatively little about the effectiveness of group-based activities in relation to known psychological processes associated with group dynamics. Therefore, the authors conducted a meta-analytic examination of whether learning outcomes are moderated by aspects of group process and collaborative learning. Results indicated that (a) group duration of a brief period (one to three classes) was more effective than group duration lasting more than one-half semester, (b) high levels of participant interdependence were associated with greater learning outcomes, and (c) group activities incorporating a formal group project presentation evidenced significantly less robust learning outcomes than activities that did not include a formal group presentation. Based on the findings, the authors provide teaching suggestions that reflect how group processes may impact learning effectiveness.
Teaching researchers can assess learning outcome effectiveness as a function of students' graded performance or changes in knowledge, skills and behaviors, or attitudes. We meta-analyzed 197 studies to determine the effectiveness of teaching activities in Teaching of Psychology (ToP) both overall and also as a function of type of learning outcome assessment. We found that, on average, studies evidenced a medium effect size across types of learning outcomes. Given the effectiveness of ToP teaching activities, researchers should address the (a) potential confounding role of teacher rapport, immediacy, and alliance in evaluating teaching effectiveness; (b) ethics of teaching activity development; and (c) appropriateness of using course grades to assess teaching activity effectiveness.
Psychology recognizes the importance of educating students regarding cross-cultural issues. We designed a classroom exercise to give students a firsthand appreciation of a specific cross-cultural issue, that of acculturation. After a brief lecture on acculturation, we divided students in the class into 2 groups and helped each group to develop a distinct culture. Students then went on cultural exchanges to the other culture, to experience the acculturation process. Our intent with this exercise was both to teach acculturation and to broaden students' perspectives regarding current global cultural issues. Self-report evaluations of this exercise indicated that students believed it was helpful in learning about acculturation, and students reported that they developed empathy for those who are changing cultures.
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