Family Education

Recommended Prerequisites

Introduction to Educational Science (to understand the epistemological classification of the course Educational Sciences);

Sociology of Education (to perceive the family as a social system and its evolution as such);

Psychology of Education (to perceive the family as a setting for children development, where they are influenced by it and influence it);

Socio-educational intervention actions with children, teenagers and families (to recognize the importance of intervention actions based on evidences and of Family Education regarding the several dimensions of prevention: universal, selective and indicated);

Adult Education (to know the methods and strategies of Adult Education).

Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to contribute to the development of Family Education students by training them to be aware of issues that enable them to become Family Education professionals in different dimensions (Postgraduate studies and Seminar and Traineeship in Family Education):

- Teaching; vocational training; research;

- Conceptualizing, implementing, managing and evaluating Family Education intervention programs;

- Coordinating; advising and writing reports;

- Conceptualizing project applications which involve intervention actions within the scope of Family Education.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

I. Family Education as socio-educational intervention actions involving parents and children (father, mother and other parental figures)

1. The family in the socio-historical and cultural context of the XXI century: roles, challenges and needs

2. The constructionist paradigm as a framework for socio-educational intervention actions in families

2.1. From an individualistic model of "blaming the victim” (child or family) to a systemic, bio-ecological model that empowers the child, the family and the community  

2.2. Family well-being within the scope of a broader model of societal well-being

3. Legal, social and political framework of Family Education in Portugal

4. Typologies of Family and Parental Education

4.1. The contents of Parental Education: the concept of "good enough parents” 

4.2. In search of a definition for Family and Parental Education

4.3. The distinction between education and therapy: the 5 level model (model LFI) of Doherty

5. The profile of a professional working in Parental or Family Education

II. Processes of socio-educational intervention actions in families: promoting competences

1. Quality intervention actions with groups of parents

1.1. The parental education program Early Childhood-Basic Parenting Program, the Incredible Years Series, by Carolyn Webster-Stratton.

1.1.1. Theoretical framework: the model of Patterson, Reid & Dishion (1992)

1.1.2. The promotion of mutual help and social support networks

1.1.3. The use of video-modeling and role-play in Parental Education

1.1.4. Home activities

1.1.5. Advantages of implementation in a community context

1.1.6. Results of evaluation studies

1.2. Examples of Portuguese group programs: the Tesouro das Famílias; the Mais-Família programs

2. Quality individual intervention actions with parents

2.1. The parental education program: Parenting Wisely - Urban Teens by Don Gordon

2.1.1. Theoretical foundations

2.1.2. The auto-application of programs

2.1.3. Results of evaluation studies

3. Parental Education and Websites

III. Parental Education assessment

1. Needs assessment

2. Process assessment

3. Efficacy assessment

Head Lecturer(s)

Maria Filomena Ribeiro Fonseca Gaspar

Assessment Methods

Final
Type A examination: 100.0%

Periodic
Type B examination: summary of an article, thesis or book: 25.0%
Type B examination: group assignment: 25.0%
Type A examination: 50.0%