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Chapter 10 - Education for Relationships and Marriage
Questions/Problems for Discussion and Review – Chapter 10
Class Discussion
What could be done by universities, communities, and churches to encourage or motivate more engaged couples to participate in premarital education programs? Why is it important to have trained leadership? Isn’t having a satisfactory marriage enough to qualify as a leader couple’? Review the myths about marriage that discourage premarital and marriage education. Which do you think is the strongest and why?
Research Problems and Activities
- Interview 20 engaged couples (males and females separately) about their interest in a premarital education program. If possible, find an ethnically diverse sample. Using the content areas in Box 9.1 , assess their level of interest in each area. What do they see as the value of such a program? How do the responses of males and females compare? What about ethnic groups? A second, related, survey might interview engaged couples who have been married before. What differences do you notice in their responses?
- Review the research on one of the programs mentioned that has undertaken some rigorous evaluation of program results (by Olson, L’Abate, or Gottman, for example). Consider the assumptions and objectives of the program and how they were carried out. If more than one person works on this activity, choose different programs to assess and then compare differences in assumptions, objectives, and program design.
Case Study Design
Develop a premarital or marriage education program for a specific population of couples (incarcerated-partner or drug-rehabilitation-program couples). What would have to be done to alter the design? How would you incorporate and adapt the concepts that have proven to be the most successful in other programs? Invite a leader couple trained in one of the marriage enrichment models to demonstrate their teaching technique in your class, using an interpersonal relationship topic. Your class can role play the couples and small groups, or each class member can bring a friend to participate in this lesson with him or her. Using the praxis model (action with reflection), process the experience in the next class period.
Box 9.1 - Premarital Education Program Topics
The following list includes topics presented in marriage preparation programs that research has connected to marital satisfaction:
- Marriage as a commitment
- Family of origin and individual backgrounds
- Temperaments and personalities of partners
- Communication skills • Role expectations
- Couple interaction patterns
- Conflict resolution
- Decision-making skills
- Financial resources and financial management skills
- Leisure and recreational interests
- Goals and expectations
- Sexuality and affection
- Children and parenting
- Religious or spiritual values and expectations
- Identifying relationship strengths
- Plans for wedding
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