“If You Can Dream It, You Can Achieve It.” Parent Memorable Messages as Indicators of College Student Success

Abstract

This study investigated various aspects of parents' memorable messages about college as they relate to indicators of college student success. Findings revealed that parents' memorable messages about college focused on working (and playing) hard, the necessity of attending college, providing encouragement and support, and general advice based on parents' own experiences. Although these message themes were not uniquely predictive of college student success, the students' perceptions of message and sender characteristics emerged as significant predictors of cognitive learning indicators, learner empowerment, college motivation, and satisfaction with college. Theoretical and practical implications for findings are discussed.

Defining Success: The Perspective of Emerging Adults with Foster Care Experience

“…A healthy family situation can be one of the strongest factors in promoting resiliency (Kranstuber, Carr, & Hosek, 2012). Emerging adults with experience in the foster system often lack the stability and security provided to many by their birth parents, as they are bounced around from home to home, unable to form proper attachments, and are exposed to additional risk factors.…”

“…A child-focused perspective is not an unjustified approach, but such legislation can completely circumvent the importance of family. A positive relationship with family members can lead to increased resiliency, greater life satisfaction, and overall higher levels of wellbeing, and most of these behaviors are found in the everyday practices of families (Benzies & Mychasiuk, 2009;Courtney et al, 2012;Kranstuber et al, 2012;Masten, 2001). With such a strong potential to positively influence development, requiring little more than "ordinary magic", foster families simply should not be overlooked (Masten, 2001).…”

“…Factors promoting resiliency are not limited to external sources and can also be found within the foster parent-child relationship. A healthy parent-child relationship, perceived parental support, and opportunities provided to children to grow in independence can all promote resiliency during the transition to adulthood (Benzies & Mychasiuk, 2009;Kranstuber et al, 2012). A key component of resilience theory is the notion promotive factors can also be found in the everyday practices and behaviors of families.…”

“…While scholars, theorists, advocates, and others viewing the foster care system from an external perspective readily identify the disproportionate number of risk factors present in the experiences of foster youth as leading to negative outcomes in adulthood, the perception of the individuals in consideration can play a major factor in the actual outcomes they experience. The power of perception has been observed among various populations to influence attitudes and outcomes, regardless of the actual circumstance (Henry, Merten, Plunkett, & Sands, 2008;Kranstuber, Carr, & Hosek, 2012;Zepke, Leach, & Butler, 2011). An understanding of the way in which individuals with experience in the foster care system define "success," using resilience theory as a theoretical framework, can provide valuable insight and lead to improvements within the foster care system.…”

Young Adult Daughters and their Parents: Communication about WorkCareer and Family

“…Memorable messages have been used as a unit of communication analysis in a plethora of contexts. Examples are gender socialization of new university faculty (e.g., Dallimore, 2003), organizational newcomer socialization (e.g., Barge & Sclueter, 2004;Stohl, 1986), volunteerism with nonprofit organization (e.g., Steimel, 2013), perceptions about aging (e.g., Fung & Carstensen, 2003;Holladay, 2002), constructions of the sense of who one is as an individual (Heisler & Ellis, 2008); college life (e.g., Dunleavy & Yang, 2015;Kranstuber, Carr, & Hosek, 2012;Wang, 2012), nurses' support messages (Ford & Ellis, 1998), illness and healthcare (e.g., Cooke-Jackson, Orbe, Johnson, & Kauffman, 2014;Lauckner et al, 2012;Smith et al, 2010), sports socialization (e.g., Colon, 2011;Cranmer, 2015;Kassing & Pappas, 2007;Starcher, 2015;), end-of-life conversations about religious faith (e.g., Keeley, 2004), and-particularly useful and similar to this study-family and work (Medved, Brogan, McClanahan, Morris, & Shepherd, 2006). found that men and women received similar messages about the role that family should play in their lives; however, women were more frequently encouraged toward selecting work that would allow them to prioritize family needs, and were also advised to exit the workforce after the birth of a child.…”