Susan Ayers-Lopez

Children's discourse during peer learning in experimental and naturalistic situations

Two complementary studies are reported concerning the characteristics of peer communication styles as children help one another learn. In the experimental study, 64 pairs of children (kindergarten and grade 2) were videotaped while working at a balance scale problem, either cooperatively or by one teaching another. Aspects of discourse associated with effectiveness were identified. In the naturalistic study, 22 second‐graders were audiorecorded during classroom peer learning. Patterns of didactic, learner‐initiated, and collaborative interactions were analyzed by form, function, and frequency. Among the qualities of interaction significant in peer learning were the negotiation of teaching and collaborative roles, attention‐focusing, showing and pointing, and informative messages.

Openness in adoption and the impact on birth mother plans for search and reunion

This article addresses the attitudes of 125 birth mothers about their roles in their birth childrens lives, 12 to 20 years postplacement. As part of a longitudinal study on adoption openness, decision-making is explored for birth mothers who maintained direct contact with the adoptive family, for those with ongoing mediated contact, mediated contact that had stopped, and those without contact. Analyses also were conducted to determine if birth mother planned searches were related to their age, marital status, and parenting status. Significant differences were found for type of openness. To contextualize the findings, birth mother reasons for making decisions about searching were analyzed. Recommendations are provided for adopted adults, birth parents considering a reunion, and adoption agency staff.

Post-Adoption Support Groups: Strategies for Addressing Marital Issues

Married couples who adopt older children from foster care, especially children with special needs, can often face unique marital stressors. This article explores strategies for strengthening marriages using a sample of adoptive couples who participated in marriage enrichment events sponsored by an innovative state and federally funded Healthy Marriage Initiative project. The authors found that participation in marriage enrichment events aimed at building support networks among adoptive couples can be valuable in helping couples to bolster their relationships and find needed support from couples with similar experiences. Implications and suggestions for the continued development of marriage enrichment services with adoptive couples are given.

Birth Mothers’ Perspectives on Their Relationship With the Birth Father 12 to 20 Years After Adoption

This study investigates birth mothers’ perspectives on their relationships with birth fathers after adoption placement. A total of 125 birth mothers were interviewed 12 to 20 years postplacement about the nature of their relationship with the birth father and their satisfaction with their contact with the birth father both at the time of placement and currently. These interviews were part of a larger longitudinal study of birthparents, adoptive parents, adopted persons, and adoption agency personnel. Recalling the time of the adoption placement, birth mothers reported many negative feelings about the birth father. However, by 12 to 20 years after the adoption, birth mothers were moving toward a more neutral emotional stance regarding the birth father. Most of the birth mothers do not have current contact with the birth father, and of those who do, most characterize their relationship as friendship.

Agency-Related Barriers Experienced by Families Seeking to Adopt From Foster Care

ABSTRACT Although about 100,000 children in foster care await adoption, families approved to adopt encounter obstacles in the adoption process. This nationwide longitudinal study identified agency-related barriers faced by prospective adoptive parents. A pur-posively recruited sample of 300 families seeking to adopt from foster care completed an in-depth, semi-structured telephone interview and quarterly follow-up surveys until they either finalized a foster care adoption (n = 98) or discontinued (n = 102) the process, followed by an exit interview by telephone. Findings revealed the top barriers encountered were adoption process logistics (n = 185, 92.5%), agency communication and responsiveness (n = 159, 79.5%), agency emotional support (n = 130, 65%), availability of services (n = 65, 32.5%), and juris-dictional and interjurisdictional issues (n = 52, 26%). Policy and practice implications are provided with recommendations for improving procedures, services, support, and communication to better retain prospective adoptive parents and improve adop-tion outcomes.

Youth Perspectives on Being Adopted from Foster Care by Lesbian and Gay Parents: Implications for Families and Adoption Professionals

ABSTRACT This article presents findings from a qualitative study on the perspectives of youth who were adopted from the United States foster care system by lesbian and gay parents and includes focus group data from adopted persons and survey data from adoptive parents. This study fills a unique gap in the literature by hearing directly from the youth through focus groups. Findings indicated that children use a variety of strategies for sharing or not sharing that their parents are gay or lesbian and that many experience bullying and teasing that may be different than experienced by other children. The children adopted by lesbian and gay parents often perceive themselves as being more accepting of others, having more understanding of people, and being more compassionate toward people than those not raised by lesbian or gay parents. Suggestions are provided for training of adoption professionals and prospective families about the challenges and benefits for youth adopted by lesbian and gay parents.