Child services on behalf of children

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A test of Noe\u27s training effectiveness model: A revision and expansion

Based on the work of Noe (1985; Noe & Schmitt, 1986), a revised and expanded training effectiveness model was tested that investigated the causal role of trainee and environmental characteristics on a trainee\u27s motivation to learn in training. Furthermore, motivation to learn was hypothesized to have a causal effect on both learning (moderated by reaction to training) and affective organizational commitment (mediated by reaction to training). In addition, cognitive ability was predicted to be causally related to learning.^ One hundred employees of a national, private engineering consulting company (PECC) who attended one of 12 courses conducted during the data collection period participated in the study as experimental group members. An additional ninety-four PECC employees who did not attend training during the data collection period participated as control group members. Both sets of participants completed a Phase I and Phase II survey. For the experimental group, training intervened between Phase I and Phase II; for the control group, a comparable length of time intervened between the Phase I and Phase II surveys, although no training took place.^ The proposed model was tested based on structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques using LISREL VIII (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1994). Based on the findings of initial analyses and theoretical support, the model was revised slightly. Analyses of the modified model indicated a good model fit. The results of the study suggest that, as hypothesized, intrinsic incentives for attending training, intellect, and choice to attend training were positive antecedents of motivation to learn. Contrary to prediction, extrinsic incentives for attending training and conscientiousness were negative antecedents of motivation to learn. Job involvement was found to be directly related to affective organizational commitment. The predicted moderated relationship between motivation to learn and learning by reaction to training was not supported; instead, a mediated relationship was found. The predicted mediated relationship between motivation to learn and affective organizational commitment was not found. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Mother’s Instinct? Biological Essentialism and Parents’ Involvement in Work and Childcare

Despite wide public support for gender equality in work and caregiving, family responsibilities are still divided predominantly along traditional gender lines. This study examined the role of biological essentialism in the division of family roles using a nationally representative sample of British parents with young children (N = 5,605). Both mothers’ and fathers’ essentialist beliefs about men’s and women’s innate ability to care for children were associated with a more traditional division of childcare tasks, more hours of childcare provided by the mother, and fewer hours of childcare provided by the father. When gender role attitudes were considered together with biological essentialism, only essentialism was a significant predictor of involvement in childcare. Finally, the results supported our predictions that the effect of biological essentialism is mediated through parents’ work hours, and that essentialism affects mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in work and childcare in opposite directions. Taken together, the findings suggest that essentialist beliefs are a key hindrance to greater gender equality because they motivate parents to divide roles according to traditional gender norms. These findings may be of particular interest to practitioners and policy makers interested in increasing fathers’ involvement in childcare, mothers’ participation in the labor force, and overall gender equality

Undoing gender: Different cultures, similar stories.

This chapter describes the ways in which couples undo gender by resisting the mandate for men to prioritize paid work while women prioritize care. In contrast, in diverse cultures couples created equality when men forged an unconventional relation to paid work (e.g., working part-time or passing up promotions that interfere with family life), when they took on stereotypically maternal care tasks (e.g., diapering and comforting), when women freely shared the “maternal” role, when they insisted that their jobs/careers were as important as their partners’, and when couples shared housework

Creating equality at home: How 25 couples around the globe share housework and childcare

Creating Equality at Home tells the fascinating stories of 25 couples around the world whose everyday decisions about sharing the housework and childcare – from who cooks the food, washes the dishes, and helps with homework, to who cuts back on paid work – all add up to a gender revolution. From North and South America to Europe, Asia, and Australia, these couples tell a story of similarity despite vast cultural differences. By rejecting the prescription that men’s identities are determined by paid work and women’s by motherhood, the couples show that men can put family first and are as capable of nurturing as women, and that women can pursue careers as seriously as their husbands do – bringing profound rewards for men, women, marriage, and children. Working couples with children will discover that equality is possible and exists right now