Changes Caused by the Optional Course "Harmonious Family Relationships", at the Level of Perceptions Stereotypes and Attitudes

Comparative Study

The study “Changes caused by the optional course “Harmonious family relationships”, at the level of perceptions, stereotypes and attitudes” was conducted by the Center for Investigations and Consultation “SocioPolis”, at the request of the International Center for Protection and Promotion of Women’s Rights “La Strada”, within the project “Preventing gender violence among youth through a new school course “Harmonious family relationships”, with the financial was supported by the South African Medical Research Council through the Sexual Violence Research Initiative. 

A family is an interface between the individual and the society, as it supports the integration of its members into society, and at the same time, protects them from the stressful social life factors. The family develops the autonomous skills of its members and contributes to the education and healthy growth of new generations. The recent socio-economic crises, the changes in the family system and the family relations jeopardizes the fulfillment of duties in a family and causes deep consequences to its members (biologic, psychological and social) both in present, as well as in future. In such conditions, teenagers need to be informed and guided in developing their skills of non-violent life, in creating harmonious families, based on gender equality. The adolescence period is the most indicated for developing skills in building interpersonal relations.

The need of some educational programs for young generations, oriented towards creation of harmonious and sustainable families, with no violence, where problems would be discussed, analyzed and solved in a friendly manner, led to the development of the curriculum for the optional course ”Harmonious family relationships” for students in 10th – 12th grade, by the International Center for Protection and Promotion of Women’s Rights ”La Strada”. During the academic year 2016-2017, the optional course was proposed to students from 22 educational institutions from the Republic of Moldova. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of the optional course “Harmonious family relationships” on children and the teaching staff, and to identify the possibilities to improve some aspects of the optional course. As a result, we studied the opinions of students who attended the optional course (main sample), of students who didn’t attend the course (control sample) and of teaching staff from those 22 institutions, at the beginning of the academic year (August-September 2016 – Baseline research) and at the end (April-May 2017 – Endline research).

The specific objectives of both research studies targeted the evaluation of the changes produced in:
(i) perceptions and attitudes towards premarital relations, including abusive relations at the premarital phase;
(ii) informing about the risk behaviors at the premarital phase;
(iii) attitudes towards the values of a happy family;
(iv) knowledge of gender stereotypes in the family;
(v) perceptions and attitudes towards the role of women and men in the family and family responsibilities;
(vi) informing about domestic violence and the institutions what provide assistance,
(vii) the expectations of youth from the optional course “Harmonious family relationships”;
(viii) the need for the optional course, according to parents’ opinion;
(ix) the usefulness of the course “Harmonious family relationships”, in the opinion of youth and teachers.

 

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