Revision

I will need to add length and try to use more quotes from my sources to back up my statements.

This will be something I was already plannign on doing and will work on over the weekend.

Outline it up

Thesis:

Although it is often said that children who are brought up in a single parent household are more likely to have behavioral issues, I argue that behavioral problems do not have any direct correlation with growing up in a single parent home. I believe it has a lot more to do with social and economical issues than what family structure guides the home.

Body

General perception
What is the accepted belief on single parent homes?

Definition
What exactly is a single parent home? Divorce? Widow?

Negative
Studies showing negative effects on children

Positive
Studies that conclude there is no direct correlation?
Positive effects?

Conclusion

Summarize
My opinion

Plan of Attack

Overall I had Good-Excellent scores. The only thing they really suggested I work on is include more sources which I definately will. Their reviews were helpful and their notes gave me great advice on what to tune up to make this an overall better bibliography.

My plan will be to correct the few minute errors they suggested and adding more sources.

Now introducing...

Annotated Bibliography: Growing Up In a Single Parent Home

Introduction: The main research question that my paper will address is: What are the negative effects on children growing up in a single parent home if any? I am writing this research paper for not a few different crowds: single parents, those who were brought up in single parent homes, and a scholarly audience of psychology. These sources will show that contrary to popular belief there is no direct correlation to adolescent misbehavior and growing up in a single parent home. In fact, in some instances research has actually come up with positive effects as a result of growing up in a single parent home. On the other hand, some of the naysayer sources contribute deviance of children to parent’s lack of attention which can be found more often in single parent families.

After compiling research I have decided that the body of my paper will be comparing the results of scholarly research that has been done on this topic. In the concluding portion of my paper I will take a stance given the results and form a persuasive conclusion.

Bibliography.............

Bulcroft, Richard A. Family Structure… New York: Sage Publication, 1998


This article explores the relationship between family structure and control attempts of parents with regard to their adolescent children. Bulcroft analyzed many different family structures but more importantly for my research single parent households. This study focused on parental behaviors such as leaving the child home alone, variations in curfew, and application of household rules.

In my paper I will use his findings that revealed that there is very little difference between parental control attempts in lifelong two parent families versus single-parent families.

Hmmmm...

What are the current arguments for and against single parent households? What if any are values that a child can learn coming up in a single parent household?


My Primary sources will be scholarly articles that have done research on this specific topic while my secondary sources will be interviewing those who have grown up in a single parent household.

Questions?

Problem-Solving Detective or Critical Analyst.

• What if any are values that a child can learn coming up in a single parent household?

Reviewer of a Controversy

• What are the current arguments for and against single parent households?

Progress Report

• I have learned a lot so far given I am continuing my synthesis paper. I have noticed that their are both pro's and con's to growing up in a single parent households and that the research for each side has a tendency to have tunnel vision. Those who believe in the con's tend to look towards social problems (i.e. smoking, getting into trouble) while those who believe in the pro's tend to look at things in the actual household (i.e. independence, more responsibilities).

• I will be looking froward to doing deeper research and actually looking at comparing different scholarly articles to see if their really is a problem of tunnel vision when it comes to researching this topic. Also I am eager to see what different viewpoints or kinds of research I can dig up using a search of library data bases.

Sources

Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, what Helps


Redefining Single-Parent Families: Cohabitation and Changing Family Reality

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&se=gglsc&d=96504278

Duh

Purpose: First off I would like to inform the readers about the research done on growing up in a single parent household. I will then use interviews/my personal experience to show that their truly are positives to coming up in a single parent household while the cons are not certain.

Audience: Psychology as a scholarly audience but for a more generalized audience it would be single parents, and children of single parents.

Questions. Anyone? Anyone?

What are some social dysfunctions are attributed to single parenthood?

Which is a better environment for a child to grow up in? A single parent household or a household with parents who no longer love each other but stay together for the family?

Can adolescent misbehavior be attributed to growing up in a single parent household?

Research

Exploring Your Research Topic

If you are feeling confident in your choice of a particular topic, you may only need to write about that topic. If you are unsure, explore two or three topics by responding to the following questions:

Part I: Exploration
1. Identify the issue or problem that you plan to focus on in your research project.
The issues of single parent households and the views people have about the effects it has on the children.

2. What is your personal connection to and interest in this topic?
I lived in a single parent household for the majority of my life so I have my own views and opinions about the issue.

3. What opinions do you already hold about this topic?
I do not believe that there are definite adverse effects from living with only one parent.
4. What knowledge do you already have about this topic?
From doing my synthesis paper on this topic I now have knowledge on the contrasting views of single parent families as well as some of the research done on this topic.

5. What are your main questions about this topic? What are you most curious about?
What are the negatives attributed to children to coming up in a single parent household? Positives?

6. Within what scholarly discipline (such as history, biology, and psychology) do you expect to do most of your research? How does this discipline approach or study this topic?
I expect to do most of my research with a mix of history/psychology. That seems to be what I ran into during my synthesis paper. Many people look at the historical aspect of the change in family structure while others look into the psychological aspect of the child.
7. How could you research this topic outside the library (for example, through interviews?
And/or observations)?
My own life experiences could be used. I could also interview others whose parents were divorced, or widowed which caused them to grow up in a single parent household.

Part II: Focusing
Write an initial claim, or an open-ended question, to guide your research on this topic. Make it specific but exploratory. Remember that a good claim opens up an area of inquiry about a topic; a claim should invite evidence, support, and debate.

Single parent households are becoming more and more common. It seems almost taboo if your family consists of two parents in this day and age. More and more children are being brought up in this environment and face challenges that most children do not face when coming up in a house with both their parents. Is this a bad thing though? Can a child actually learn life lessons and rewarding experience by growing up in a single parent household?

Citations

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=EJ220410

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/demography/v039/39.2deleire.pdf

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0197-6664(198601)35%3A1%3C125%3AHSPF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0009-3920(198504)56%3A2%3C326%3ASPEHAT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J


The first scholarly article is entitled "Growing Up a Little Faster: The Experience of Growing Up in a Single-Parent Household"

They discuss the idea that a child actually is closer with their parents when exposed to single parent house-holds. There is not the traditional hierarchy that one can find in a two-parent household. These children are generally given more responsibilities which in turn helps them mature quicker and form closer and stronger relationships with their parents on different levels.

I tell ya "So What?" and "Who Cares?"

Technology is becoming more and more accessible within the education system. Is this a good thing or a bad thing though? It is fair to say that people are split on this topic. In Video Games and the Future of Learning we see the positives of video games helping students learn through simulation and role-playing. However, Richard Ohmann believes the opposite. He believes that technology is too present in the classroom and is being taking advantage of. I, however, believe that technology is a good thing in education and that its abuse can be monitored and stopped. Students all across the world who use technology can vouch that they get a different and in some ways better learning experience using the new ways of learning. Aside from students who are directly affected it is necessary for all others to understand that the great developments in technology which help the education system should not be discarded because of the possible abuse. A professor can easily monitor what the student is doing on computers whether it is programs on his/her computer that oversee the students actions or by just keeping an eye on them during the class.

Summary

Technology is becoming more and more accesible within the education system. Is this a good thing or a bad thing though? It is fair to say that people are split on this topic. In Video Games and the Future of Learning we see the positives of video games helping students learn through simulation and role-playing. However, Richard Ohmann believes the opposite. He believes that technology is too present in the classroom and is being taking advantage of.

“Computers and Technology” – “Who Needs Computers”

Thesis: Technology is becoming more evident in the classroom. New ways of learning are starting to rise to the surface given this new technology.

“Online Education””

-Higher Scores

-New ways to learn

-Schools focusing and becoming more technologically orientated

“Real World Video Games”

-The SIMS pretty much sums it all up. One lives within this virtual world doing everyday activities like showering, cleaning the house, and going to work.

Writing this made hungry. I know how many calories are in it and I STILL want a damn Big Mac.

David Zinczonko argues in his essay “Don’t Blame the Eater” that those who suffer from obesity are in their current position because of all of the fast food they've consumed. He takes aim at the fast food companies saying that most of these people effected have little to no other choice in food. Students and those who do not work full-time are drawn to fast food's larger than life sandwiches and too good to be true dollar menus like a bug to a light. I, however, disagree. There are many alternatives to fast food especially for children. If students or parents of younger children would just venture to a grocery store they can find fruits, vegetables, and other healthy things for a very low price.

David Zinczonko argues in his essay “Don’t Blame the Eater” that fast food companies need to take blame for those frequent customers who suffer from obesity and other health related problems. I do agree that when this was written fast food and it's nutritional facts were for the most part a big secret. Although some of us see it as common sense the companies still should have made an effort to at least show how many calories it's patrons were chomping and/or guzzling down. Given, however, that there are two groups involved: those that make the food and those that buy and consume the food; I do not think lawsuits really are the answer. As long as fast food companies are forced to put nutritional information out to the public they are taking some responsibility. After that point the individual needs to read the facts and contemplate whether extra special sauce on their Big Mac is a necessity for themselves.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501674.html

In this article they sumarrize the new drug testing policy in baseball. They go over the punishments and how they have changed recently. They also discuss what new substances are being added to the "illegal" side of things. They fail to address the "they say",however, on the privacy issues usally brought up when discussing steroid testing in professional sports.

Looking back I believe it is important to address the other side in this article. They glorify the new steroid testing as if there are no objections at all which everyone who casually follows the news knows is not the case.