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Work vs. Education: Are children of single-parent homes less likely to attend a place of higher education because they are more driven to the labor force immediately?
Question: Studies have shown that children from single-parent households are less likely to achieve a college degree than children from two-parent households. Is this correlation, though, due to a lack of inspiration or encouragement by the single-family home to attend college or is it rather a greater sense of work ethic and necessity to earn money immediately present in the children from single-family homes. For example, if the single-family home child noticed that money was tighter than it was in the two-parent household, that child might feel it is necessary to work full time in order to contribute or establish themselves as sort of a breadwinner, whereas the more economically stable family child may not and instead pursue higher education.
Variables: The household status of the individuals participating in the study when they were growing up. This will not be manipulated – only observed.
Type of Study: This study is meant to be correlational in design. It is impossible to isolate every variable that may contribute to a person’s overall work ethic and decision making process as they grow into adulthood, thus a cause and effect relationship cannot be established.
Measures: Surveys would be given to participants to indicate their family backgrounds – whether their households were single or two-parent – and their level of education and/or work experience. Participants will also be asked as to their reasoning for why they decided to either go to college, work, or do nothing (should that be the case). Independent case studies on individual participants would be ideal to help solidify some of the expectations, but it will be very difficult to do case studies on as many people as can be recorded by surveys.
Hypothesis: Children from single-parent homes are less likely to attend higher education because they are instead driven towards the wage-earning workforce.
Benefits and Implications: Should the hypothesis prove correct, it will hep to change the scornful public opinion which often looks poorly on individuals from one-parent households that go to work instead of going to college. This study would show that such decisions made by said individuals was in fact not a show of irresponsibility or lack of judgment but instead a rational and hard-working approach to secure an immediate future financially.
Challenges: It was hard to think of how to phrase the benefits. I am interested in this study because I know people who have forgone college in order to work because they felt it was simply a better idea to have a steady income, which makes logical sense, and I feel that reasoning is one that the public does not always appreciate. However, it’s difficult to think how proving that reasoning and the logic behind it would benefit society overall, since it does not appear to yield very tangible results. Instead it only offers a clearer image of the way things are without changing anything. I suppose that could be effective in its own right, but it seems like a tame outcome for an extensive study that (including individual case studies) could span years.
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My name is Kyra Ernst. Considering how I largely keep my comments to myself in class and I sit up and off to the right (our right, that is…) I highly doubt anyone notices me. Still, I’ve had a great time thus far in Psychology – I have to admit that I never thought a giant lecture hall could be so…animated!
So a little about me, I guess. I’m a sophomore this semester at Baruch (not particularly sure where along that line I am, considering the credits I have…. I find this college complicated…) but planning to transfer to FIT next fall so that I can major either in Fashion Merchandising or International Trade and Marketing for the Fashion Industry. I have a feeling that sounds like a superficial trade with which to be concerned (at least, taking Macroeconomics and International Relations has given me a little cause to think that…) but I say, “You only live once!” and I intend on living once. I grew up all over upstate New York but I identify as a New Yorker, and I spent as much time as I could manage coming to the city to visit (I can still be seem roaming aimlessly around the east side). Hobby-wise, I enjoy drawing, writing, walking around the city (and discovering new places/things by chance that way), drinking bubble tea, and most likely other more interesting-sounding things that I can’t think of at present. I also enjoy using sarcasm whenever at all possible, so do excuse me if I offend you; I promise I don’t mean it to be personally harsh! Other than snide remarks, though, I haven’t been too up on my hobbies since my classes (adored as they are, with International Relations and Business Law near and dear to my heart as is) have a way of taking up all my time.
I’m looking forward to another good semester here at Baruch! While it is my intention to eventually leave, I don’t plan to withdraw from the community that I recently began to explore. I am the Secretary of Pi Sigma Epsilon, the only co-ed National Marketing Society here at Baruch, and through our organization we’re looking to have a busy semester that’s both professionally helpful and socially engaging!
About the post: I assume most people have seen it but I somehow think it applies. Sometimes you just feel like the straight man in a crazed comedy routine…or the only one who’s making sense. I hope I’m not as dour about it as dear old Charlie is…
Charlie the Unicorn (If this doesn’t work, please tell me!)
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Comments Across the Site
"1. After reading the reflection writer’s description, what do you think was happening to them during the meditation on a physiological level?
I think as you were trying to relax in focusing on your breathing, you were tapping into a sense of mindfulness in which you were concentrated more on the bodily experiences of your emotions than the thoughts provoking them. It also let you take a step back from your stressor situations so that it doesn't feel like they're defining or overwhelming you. In that sense, the meditation was for you an effective way of coping with stress.
Physiologically, I think the meditation probably had the sort of calming effect to de-stress the situation, as it were, and cause your hypothalamus to stop releasing corticotropin, since you aren't in a stressful situation which would require the effects. You don't need to pituitary to signal the adrenal gland to release cortisol because your body doesn't need as much glucose available in the bloodstream since it's calming down and slowing its metabolism. I expect your immune system, especially if you continue to meditate, received a benefit as well, since cortisol would regulate it.
2. Based on your readings throughout the semester, what areas of their central and peripheral nervous systems may have been effected during the meditation?
While you were stressed, the sympathetic portion of the ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) was more active, raising your heart rate and preparing to act quickly, since you were experiencing the stressor thoughts/events as dire situations. The meditation calmed this portion of the nervous system, though, and relaxed you by way of the parasympathetic portion of the ANS, bringing you to the restful state you described.
3. What questions do you have for the writer about their experience?
Would you be willing to meditate more in the future? It sounds like you did receive some benefit from the mindfulness exercise, but I can't tell if you experienced the initial stress strongly enough for the benefit to be worth it to you. I know you said you would try it if it helped you reduce stress/anxiety, but I wonder if it has to reduce it at least to a minimum (not just take of 1% of the stress, for example, but be more substantial).
I have never been able to fully empty my mind (though I do not believe I have effectively tried). I'm curious what that felt like; how can you even tell your mind is emptied if there's supposed to be no thoughts telling you the attempt to empty it was successful?
4. Based on the description provided, would you be open to trying the same meditation exercise?
I have tried this sort of meditation exercise in the past, and I did not care for it. I do not think I would try it again. I don't like the feeling of sitting still to calm down; when I am in a bad mood or stressed, what truly helps me is walking around and engaging with the environment, not drawing back from it. I find I become a little stir-crazy."
posted on Nov 27, 2011, on the post Meditation Reflection"Here goes my attempt to reply to these comments; I feel that I wasn't clear in my post...
I DO NOT mean to assert that children from 1 parent households have less of a work ethic; the OPPOSITE. I mean to say that because they are perhaps more likely to experience economic hardship/tension they are more driven towards actual work instead of attending school, which I mean to say is equivalent to a greater "pure work" ethic...if that makes sense. I also do not assert that the public looks down on children from 1 parent households; I believe that the public often looks down on people who do not pursue a college education (even though the person has a legitimate reason for not doing so), and many times this is attributed especially to children from 1 parent households.
Also, this is a correlational design; no causation whatsoever is suggested here."
posted on Oct 3, 2011, on the post Work vs. Education: The work ethic of Individuals from Single and Two-family Households"Pleasant to meet you, Lana. That's very interesting that you're from Uzbekistan but actually Korean - and now you're here at Baruch! It just shows the diversity, I think, and I have to say I wish my own background was somewhat interesting like that as well.
Hopefully the water hasn't stopped you from taking in all Brooklyn has to offer, notably Coney Island in the warmer months! I can imagine swimming in the ocean is the last thing that would appeal to you (I admit, the thought of being surrounded by murky salt doesn't sit too well with me either) but the boardwalk has such a casual air about it that I wish you could enjoy it!"
posted on Sep 20, 2011, on the post Hi!"I love how you put so much about yourself here, especially including the quotation at the end! Not only does it make me feel less self-conscious about writing a book on my own blog post (so to speak) but I imagine it's exactly what the professor had in mind with this assignment.
I feel I can identify with losing touch with friends; when I moved from upstate down here, I didn't realize how impossible it is to keep as close with people when you don't see them everyday...or how difficult it still is to talk despite our social networking/other technology (including phones, of which I've admittedly never been fond). The irony truly rests, though, with how difficult it is getting together with people who live in the city as well... I am curious; do you commute from Long Island every day to come here? I ask only because 9 a.m seems so early to arrive that way..."
posted on Sep 20, 2011, on the post Bonjour!"What's up Ga Ho? I feel bad now because my introduction is so much longer... I most likely ranted...
And in any case, is this in uncategorized? It has to be in "Hello" or they won't see it, so just making sure.... Hopefully I'm not getting this wrong and making everyone paranoid for no reason..."
posted on Sep 20, 2011, on the post Hello"Hi Connie! I hope you like New York; probably quite different in climate from Hong Kong and California (without knowing what part of California you were in...)! I'd like to think it's....colder. Much colder. But definitely worth loving (And cold is good for ice skating!
I think you might have posted this in "Uncategorized" by mistake; this post has to be in the "Hello" section or else the professor/TAs won't be able to recognize that you did it. I don't want your work to be discounted!"
posted on Sep 20, 2011, on the post hello:D
