Contact: Mary Jane Dunlap, University Relations, (785) 864-8853 or mjdunlap@ku.edu; or Michelle Moriarty, (913) 469-8500, ext. 3714 or moriarty@jccc.net.
LAWRENCE - A doctoral student in educational psychology at the University of Kansas is looking for moms whose first child will be entering kindergarten this fall to join a study to help parents participate more confidently in parent-teacher conferences.
Michelle Moriarty needs about 90 mothers to participate in free sessions she will be conducting Saturdays at Johnson County Community College. Moriarty, who teaches at JCCC, is on sabbatical leave this semester to complete research for a doctorate in educational psychology at KU.
Participating moms must be able to attend each of two classes offered per session. The sessions will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 9 and 16; Sept. 23 and 30 or Oct. 7 and 14 in Carlson Center at JCCC.
"Meeting with your child's teacher for the first time is almost like you are on trial," Moriarty said. "There is an element of fear of the professional outsider saying to you as the parent 'You screwed up.' Even professional educators with young children admit they experience some of this fear when called into a conference regarding their own child."
Teachers usually learn or have skills for dealing with others in what can be a stressful situation; parents may not, Moriarty said. Or parents may have the skills but not be prepared to use them in a meeting with their child's teacher.
After years away from the classroom, parents may have some anxiety when they go back into a school building, and "that's likely to affect their meeting with a teacher," Moriarty said. "They may not know what kinds of questions to ask. They may not know what's going on in schools today, and they may not know why school is not like it was when they went to school," Moriarty said
For her study, Moriarty needs moms who have no previous experience meeting with teachers. She will test a video-training program she has designed to help parents develop basic skills to establish good communication with their children's teachers.
She wants to determine if her training program, which includes a video, a manual and parenting classes, gives moms more confidence in their human relations skills and if moms develop favorable attitudes toward parent-teacher conferences.
Eventually Moriarty plans to include dads in her study. Although many dads are highly involved with their children, in the early years mothers often tend to be in jobs that allow them time to attend parent-teacher conferences, Moriarty said.
The child is the big winner when parents are involved in their child's education progress from kindergarten through high school, Moriarity said.
"Everybody has a story about an experience with a parent-teacher conference," Moriarty says. "If you are prepared ahead of time, if you know what you might hear and know how to deal with it, conferences with teachers can be rewarding for everyone involved."
Moms interested in participating in Moriarty's study may call her at Johnson County Community College at (913) 469-8500, extension 3714, or e-mail her at moriarty@jccc.net.