Family Social Science Projects and Research

ADAPT - After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools. Developed with the MN National Guard and Reserves, ADAPT provides tools and resources to help families as they cope with the stress of deployment and reintegration.
Faculty: Dr. Abigail Gewirtz

Ambit Network. Ambit Network works with communities to use researched-based prevention and intervention techniques to increase children's ability to cope with trauma.
Faculty: Dr. Abigail Gewirtz

Applying Critical Thinking. A tool demonstrating how critical thinking levels can be applied to reflect on, analyze, and compare information presented in any form of media and art.
Faculty: Dr. William Goodman

Birthdays Without Pressure. A citizen action group of parents and professionals addressing the excess involved in children's birthday celebrations.
Faculty: Dr. Bill Doherty

Citizen Professional Center. Resources to prepare professionals, students, and community members for effective demographic engagement with communities.
Faculty: Dr. Bill Doherty

UMN - ECFE Program Evaluation Collaboration. A collaboratively-developed evaluation instrument and process for ECFE sites interested in assessing the short term effectiveness of their ECFE programs. The project also collects data for a broader understanding of ECFE effectiveness and program quality at regional and statewide levels.
Faculty: Dr. Susan Walker

Community Engaged Parent Education. Information about the completed study, with resources and links to findings and journal articles.
Faculty: Dr. Bill Doherty

Digital Stories: Families, Families Everywhere. Undergraduates explore the construction, meaning, and function of families through digital storytelling. Site coming soon!
Faculty: Dr. William Goodman

Dollar Works 2. A comprehensive personal financial education program, designed to help educators and service providers move from practicing "concepts" to application in their own lives. Available in English and Spanish.
Faculty: Dr. Marlene Stum

Family Communication Project. A study of how parent-child communication can promote the health and well-being of children, with the goal to understand how parent-child communication operates differently across various kinds of families, including traditional families, step-families, adoptive families, and families created through assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Faculty: Dr. Martha Rueter

Financial Security in Later Life. Helping employees become more financialy secure, less stressed, and more productive. Resources for employers to offer financial management education that goes beyond specific products or work benefits.
Faculty: Dr. Marlene Stum

Financing Long Term Care. Unbiased, research-based information and decision-making tools about long term care risk, costs, and financing alternatives.
Faculty: Dr. Marlene Stum

Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project. Develops, disseminates and evaluates best practices to help couples at high risk for divorce who are uncertain whether to divorce or to try to rebuild their marriage, and to enhance the capacity of therapists, lawyers, clergy and other professionals to work effectively with these couples.
Faculty: Dr. Bill Doherty

Minnesota Health Care Directive. A planning tool used to identify end-of-life preferences and wishes, and to identify who you want to make decisions for you if you are medically unable.
Faculty: Dr. Marlene Stum

Parenting 2.0. This project is interested in gaining a better understanding of the ways in which, and the reasons why, parents use technology. Ongoing studies of technology use and parent story-gathering are featured.
Faculty: Dr. Jodi Dworkin

Parenting Teens. Bridging research and outreach on parenting and youth development, this project is designed to connect parents with reliable and practical information and professionals with research-based resources. Information about the Study of Healthy Youth Experimentation.
Faculty: Dr. Jodi Dworkin

Rural Families Speak. Tracking the well-being and functioning of rural low-income families in the context of welfare reform.
Faculty: Dr. Jean Bauer

Rural Minnesota Life. A website that help address the far reaching effects that changes in Minnesota have on family farms, rural businesses, rural families and rural communities.
Faculty: Dr. Sharon Danes

Seminar for Parents: Alcohol Use on Campus. Free online course designed to provide parents of college students with information and tools to support and empower successful transitions to college, increasing responsibility, and good decision-making skills.
Faculty: Dr. Jodi Dworkin

Seminar for Parents: Finances. Free online course for parents to understand how to talk with their college student children about making responsible decisions when it comes to managing their finances.
Faculty: Dr. Jodi Dworkin

Teen Link. Searchable database of resources on teen issues. Developed as a means for educators, parents, teachers, youth and professionals working with adolescents to obtain quick access to books, journal articles and web sites addressing teen issues.
Faculty: Dr. Jodi Dworkin

Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?. Practical information about improving family decision-making about inheritance of personal property.
Faculty: Dr. Marlene Stum