Children of the Land

by Conger, Rand D.; Parke, Ross D.

• ISBN13: 9780226202662
• ISBN10: 0226202666
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-05-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

A century ago, most Americans had ties to the land. Now only one in fifty is engaged in farming and little more than a fourth live in rural communities. Though not new, this exodus from the land represents one of the great social movements of our age and is also symptomatic of an unparalleled transformation of our society. In Children of the Land, the authors ask whether traditional observations about farm families--strong intergenerational ties, productive roles for youth in work and social leadership, dedicated parents and a network of positive engagement in church, school, and community life--apply to 300 Iowa children who have grown up with some tie to the land. The answer, as this study shows, is a resounding yes. In spite of the hardships they faced during the agricultural crisis of the 1980s, these children, whose lives we follow from the seventh grade to after high school graduation, proved to be remarkably successful, both academically and socially. A moving testament to the distinctly positive lifestyle of Iowa families with connections to the land, this uplifting book also suggests important routes to success for youths in other high risk settings.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Foreword	xiii
Ross D. Parke
Acknowledgments	xvii
Part 1 Rural Change and Life Chances	1	(58)
Ties to the Land	3	(30)
Two Worlds of Childhood: Rural Decline and Urban Prosperity	8	(4)
The Iowa Project and Approach	12	(5)
Family Ties to the Land and Resourceful Pathways	17	(12)
Studying Lives in Changing Times: A Cautionary Note	29	(4)
Families and the Generations	33	(26)
Family Continuity in Agriculture and Kinship	35	(11)
Social Ties in the Community	46	(6)
Values to Live By	52	(3)
Resourceful Families and Children	55	(4)
Part 2 Pathways to Competence	59	(160)
Ties to Family and Land	61	(26)
Family Continuity and Change	62	(11)
Pathways to Success in High School	73	(7)
Developmental Risks and Success	80	(3)
Conclusion	83	(4)
Always Work to Do	87	(20)
Some Developmental Meanings of Work	89	(3)
The Ecologies of Children's Labor	92	(5)
Work Paths to Competence	97	(7)
Productive Work Empowers	104	(3)
Bridging Family and Community	107	(20)
Community Ties in a Rural Ecology	109	(11)
Doing Better or Worse than Expected	120	(3)
The Socially Embedded Family	123	(4)
Wisdom of the Ages	127	(24)
Ways of Grandparenting	128	(5)
Grandparents in Young Lives	133	(8)
Significant Grandparents and Successful Development	141	(7)
Family Strength and Social Redundancy	148	(3)
Church, Family, and Friends	151	(14)
Passing on Religion	153	(2)
From Church to Youth Group	155	(4)
Religious Ways and Competence	159	(6)
Lessons from School	165	(26)
Activity Patterns through Adolescence	166	(5)
Getting Involved: The Influence of Family and School	171	(6)
Achieving Competence through Activities	177	(4)
Turning Points in Activities	181	(6)
Lessons for Life	187	(4)
Achieving Success, Avoiding Trouble	191	(28)
Agrarian Culture and Youth Competence	192	(3)
Promoting Success and Avoiding Trouble	195	(9)
Questions of Resilience and Vulnerability	204	(4)
Putting the Story Together	208	(7)
Some Reflections	215	(4)
Part 3 Past, Present, and Future	219	(94)
Legacies of the Land	221	(92)
Approaches and Some Alternatives	222	(6)
Pathways of Resilience for Young Lives	228	(6)
Midwest Themes of a Rural Adolescence	234	(12)
Continuity and Change	246	(5)
Appendixes
A The Iowa Youth and Families Project	251	(2)
B Measurements I: Indicators of Competence and Success	253	(6)
C Measurements II: Other Indicators by Chapter	259	(10)
D Analytic Approach: Identifying Resilient and Vulnerable Youth	269	(4)
E Appendix Tables	273	(40)
Notes	313	(30)
Selected Bibliography	343	(18)
Index	361