#12 Final Summary, Reaction, and Conclusion

Finally I have received all of my surveys back! I am excited to share that my hypothesis for the most part is correct! My prediction included that the results of my survey will support my hypothesis that children of an intact family preform better academically, maintain stronger relationships with their parents, and have stronger academic expectations placed on them by both themselves and their parents. Although the results do support my hypothesis, I noticed that majority of the teens who took the survey from both intact and divorced families do not ask either of their parents for academic assistance. I did not find this reaction exceptionally surprising because I, myself so not ask my parents for academic assistance very often either. Those teens from intact families who replied that they did ask for academic assistance received it and teens from divorced families who asked for academic assistance often did not, which further supports my hypothesis. I also noticed that teens of intact families have a higher average of academic pressure placed on them from their parents in comparison to teens of divorced families. The survey also shows that all the teens surveyed of intact families plan on attending college in the future and receiving at least a bachelors degree in their field of choice. In addition to the results above I noticed that on average children of intact families have stronger relationships with both of their parents than those of divorced families. After concluding my research analysis, the results of my survey support my hypothesis! I believe the topic of maintaining an intact marriage and family is extremely important and should be further explored and stressed in our society!

#11 Revised Summary/Plan/Update

I have continued with a paper survey to conduct the research analysis portion of my blog. So far I have received just about half of the surveys I have distributed back. I have noticed that majority of my hypothesis stands true. Although I have not fully concluded my research and do not want to fully give the results away, my hypothesis on the amount of academic assistance, amount of pressure to succeed, and plan for the future are mostly supported by my research thus far. I look forward to seeing how the remainder of my research comes back and observing if they continue to support my hypothesis.

#10 Strategy/Plan for Research

For the Research analysis portion of my blog assignment I have decided to conduct a paper survey, which will be distributed to 10 teenagers, male and female, ranging from the age of 15-17. Five of the recipients of the survey will be of an intact family and the remaining five will be of a divorced family. The survey primarily focuses on the academic benefits children will receive as being a member of an intact family in comparison to children of a divorced family.  I predict that the results of my survey will conclude children of an intact family preform better academically, maintain stronger relationships with their parents, and have stronger academic expectations placed on them by both themselves and their parents. 

#9 Research Analysis Method:Survey

For the research analysis portion of my blog I have decided to conduct a survey based on the information I have learned about my topic "Family and Marriage-Intact." I will distribute a series of questions to 5 teens of intact families and 5 teens of divorced families with their consent and compare the results. The survey will include questions such as rating the amount of assistance they receive from their parent(s) academically from 1 to 10, questions regarding their own motivation to preform better academically, and the expectations placed on them by their family. By giving this survey to children of both intact and divorced families I will be able to compare and observe if my research stands true and I will also be able to look at the advantages intact marriages and families have on the children involved.

#8 Marriage and Family: Intact

Throughout my blog I explored many websites, articles, and videos that spoke about the advantages and factors of my topic “Family and Marriage: In-tact.”  As I wrote my blog I primarily focused on the advantages that an intact marriage and family can have on all people involved including parents and children. Some of these advantages for children include fewer behavioral problems, better academic results, better emotional health and healthier romantic relationships in the future. After exploring these factors, the benefits are obvious but it is also important to keep in mind that for some families it may be more beneficial to not maintain an intact marriage for the parents and children involved. Although that may be the case for some families, I believe it is important to investigate these factors before considering a choice like that. The articles I have read describe the benefits maintaining an intact marriage has on the parents as well. For example, marries mothers are more inclined to create a better environment for their infants and are less likely to experience violence or abuse in their lives. Some of the effects being married have on fathers included better psychological well-being and more time spent at home with their children, which is also beneficial for the children.

The most important benefit an intact marriage and family can have that I have spoke about is the effect it has on children’s academic success. My third post explains the connection family structure and academic success have on each other. The post explains that children from intact families have higher test scores, academic expectations and are more likely to complete higher levels of education such as high school and college than children of “disrupted families.” Another benefit I explored in my later posts was the connection maintaining intact families might have on economic growth.  The article I read explained that placing a higher stress on intact marriages and families can potentially better our economy because of the benefits it provides for our society.

In conclusion, the importance of upholding an intact marriage and family is a topic that needs to be taken seriously and looked at attentively. As I mentioned in one of my later posts, a majority of U.S. teens do not live in intact families and this is a rising problem that we should work together to control. Intact marriages and families have many benefits for all parties involved and this rising issue needs to be brought to the attention of our society.

#7 Marriage, Family Structure, and Children's Educational Attainment

Marriage, Family Structure, and Children's Educational Attainment

Although I have spoke about the connection between marriage and family and children academics before, I believe it is an important topic that needs to be looked at closely. Topics that this article looks at are raw achievement, school behavior, and parental impact on education. The article explains that children from intact families have higher achievement scores, higher expectations for college, higher grades, and lower dropout rates than adolescents of single-parent and cohabiting families. Children from intact families maintain better school behavior than children from non-intact families. Adults in intact families place higher expectations on their children and are more likely to participate in the academic aspect of their children's lives.  The article explains the correlation between family income and intact families and states "Marriage is a major contributor to educational success and therefore to the economy as well. The more united parents are, the better their children do.
I agree with the statements in the article linked above and i believe each one can be supported through research. The idea that marriage and family intact could benefit our economy is something that should be studied and researched more than it is.  The multiple examples I listed above further support how important it is to maintain an intact marriage and family.

#6 Majority of U.S. Teens Don’t Live in Intact Families.

Majority of U.S. Teens Don’t Live in Intact Families

When I came across this article, it was the title that caught my attention. Although I was aware that maintaining an intact family and marriage is a growing issue, the numbers were alarming.  The article states "55 percent of 15-to-17-year-olds in America do not live in intact families." That is over half of teens in our country today! The article also states "... more than 40 percent of all children are born out of wedlock, and one in three children live in single-parent homes."  As I have spoke about multiple times before, the importance of maintaining an intact family and marriage  has many benefits for all members involved and is beneficial to society. The article above supports the many reasons how intact families are crucial and the impact they have made in our world.  We must work from the ground up and build a foundation in order to help resolve this major issue in our country.
"First Things First" is a program located in Richmond Virginia that "..provides education programs that encourage active fatherhood and strengthen marriage in Richmond's low-income communities." The program has three steps whose order is crucial! The steps are 1. graduate high school, 2. get married, 3. have kids.  These are three steps that help in avoiding poverty as a result of being a broken family and assist in improving intact families.  I believe this article was very interesting and informative.  It allowed me to look at some statistics and also described the importance of this topic and ways we can work to solving it.