While food was not the purpose of the study tour, Fees said that it represented an important facet of the Chinese culture. The significance of customs and ingredients was not lost on students, many of whom had never been overseas.

Students and faculty visited nine kindergarden programs in south China.

“Food was artistically presented, a point of pride in that region. We were offered many dishes – up to 21 different ones in a single meal — served in the middle of the table on a Lazy Susan. The meals were leisurely to allow conversation and camaraderie,” she said. “Foods were typical of the two areas we visited –Zhuhai and Guangzhou.”

Guangzhou is known for excellent food and has been called the birthplace of Cantonese cuisine.

“The students learned to eat with chopsticks and tasted all the food served, including the cultural delicacy of chicken feet,” Fees said. “We had the opportunity to observe extensive preparations for the Chinese New Year including decorations and the lion and dragon dances performed by the very young children and teachers.”

The professor said the primary goal of the tour was for students to appreciate and understand the cultural differences, and to respect the process of early childhood education in the Chinese culture.

“Our students will become professional educators, and work very closely with parents to meet the expectations of both parents and programs. Not all of those parents will share the same cultural background,” she said.

“Learning about the cultural differences in how we educated young children and how it occurs in China was an eye opening experience,” observed Reagan Proctor, senior in early childhood education and one of seven students enrolled in the 3-credit hour study.

“There are so many things we can do different, or better, to help our children succeed. The amount of physical activity, their use of recycled materials and their general attitude towards children were all wonderful examples to follow in my future classroom,” he said.

The group visited nine different kindergarten programs, including one international school, government schools and private schools. K-State hosted the directors of these programs in October 2010 as part of an ongoing collaboration with South China Normal University and Dr. Zheng, Fuming, professor of early childhood education.

Guangzhou, also known as Canton, is the third largest city in China.

Enrollments ranged between 300 to more than 1000 children between 2 and 6-years-of-age in one kindergarten program, a stark contrast to a typical early childhood center-based program in the States. Several of the programs offered residential services for the children.

“It was amazing to see children so young be completely silent while working on a piece of art or see a performance done by a group of children as young as 2 and notice how totally focused they were,” said Michelle Stork, senior in early childhood education.

Fees said the students, both graduate and undergraduate in the Colleges of Human Ecology and Education, kept daily journals of their experiences and participated in nightly discussions that clearly showed both personal and professional growth.

Students observed how teachers intensely engaged with the children and how happy the children appeared. They were amazed at the creativity demonstrated by the very young children in their artwork and that several of the programs had a professional artist on staff, Fees reported.

“I was truly inspired by the enthusiastic attitudes the teachers displayed towards teaching and their involvement with every child they instruct,” said Lauren Hower, a junior in early childhood education.

They also noted the extensive use of recycled materials throughout from exercise equipment to creative expression. Children engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity outside for about two hours each day. Since 2000 the Chinese government has directed a more child-centered approach to education carefully balanced with teacher direction, this includes educational services for children with special needs.

The K-State students also said they felt humbled by their inability to speak more than one language. Many people they met spoke at least two languages, and often several additional dialects. In China children learn English during kindergarten.

At South China Normal University, the K-State students gave presentations to early childhood education students and teachers. When Kansas and Chinese students gathered in small groups “they could have talked for hours,” said Fees, “but the building had to close for the night.”

“The students became aware and appreciative of how other cultures prepare their children to be successful,” Fees said. “Similar to the States, the curriculum in the programs we visited is designed to prepare children for the next step – school – and reflect the hopes and expectations of the culture for their children. The students see that now.”

Anna Wiehe, a graduate student in education, said that visiting the preschools gave her a fresh perspective and some alternate approaches to art education and the fostering of creativity.

“One thing that stuck out to me was how they really value and put forth a lot of effort to create an aesthetically pleasing learning environment for their students,” she added. “I have traveled quite a bit but in none of my travels exceeded my expectations quite as much as China. I was so impressed with the hospitality of our hosts from South China Normal University. They made us feel incredibly welcome.”

Marilyn Kaff, associate professor from the College of Education, was co-sponsor. Also on the tour was Dylan Beck, assistant professor in art who was interested in the creativity-based programs with resident artist teachers. At K-State his creative research deals with land-use practices, urban development and architecture and he wanted to observe how the Chinese society deals with these issues.

The group was hosted by Drs. Zheng, Fuming and Cai, Liman at SCNU, College of Education Sciences. Fees and Zheng collaborate on research examining children’s physical activity as part of the early childhood curriculum.

“Visiting nine programs kept us really busy but it gave me many ideas that I cannot wait to implement when I graduate and have a classroom of my own,” said Neely Michaelis, a junior in early childhood education. “Overall it was a wonderful trip and I would recommend studying abroad to any K-State student.”

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Gage Milota, Tyler Lough and Jessica Spencer made calls.

Students, faculty and staff pitched in to pull in $108,274 during this year’s Telefund. Students – at least 233 of them – called alumni and wrote cards to those they couldn’t reach by phone. Nearly 40 faculty and staff showed up to assist and support the students. Last year’s effort raised just over $100,000. The Telefund was staged in the K-State Foundation building Jan. 29 – Feb. 1.

...plus a dose of reality.

Sandra Stith, a professor of marriage and family therapy, has Valentine’s Day advice for couples contemplating commitments and engagement rings: Mix romance with a generous portion of reality.

The reality is that relationship problems — drinking, anger, the need to control, hitting — don’t evaporate when couples become engaged or marry, according to Stith, who has spent more than 15 years developing effective solution-focused therapy methods for high-conflict couples.

“We know that most people in violent relationships had warning signs early in the relationship, but they ignored them,” said the professor  in the School of Family Studies and Human Services.

Her research has found that 50 to 70 percent of couples who seek counseling have experienced some form of violence in their relationship.

“They wouldn’t consider their relationships violent,” Stith said, “but abuse can be physical, mental, sexual, psychological and/or verbal.”

She suggested specific questions to ask before considering marriage:

• Does he or she have the need to control both you and the relationship?
• Does he or she anger easily? For example, how does he or she react when getting cut off by another driver in traffic?

“Most problems with anger focused on other people will eventually be focused on you,” she said.

• How does he or she talk to or about parents and family members? Is he or she insulting or hostile to them? The way someone treats his or her parents may provide a glimpse into the way his or her partner will be treated in the future.
• Does he or she seem too aggressive and too quick to resort to violence or intimidation?

Partners may think things will get better over time, but they probably won’t unless help is sought, Stith said.

Drinking is a huge issue in predicting the future of a relationship, she said.

“If there is a problem that exacerbates a drinking or other substance abuse problem, it will grow with the stress of marriage and children. Life gets more stressful, not less,” Stith said. “Don’t hesitate to say, ‘Before we get to marriage, you need to address your substance abuse problems. If you can’t cut back, we can’t be together.’”

Stith had other suggestions for high-conflict couples who want to establish long-term relationships:

• Don’t rush into marriage. Spend time getting to know each other.
• Participate in premarital counseling or other form of relationship counseling before finalizing wedding plans. It’s difficult to call off a wedding after the date is set and the dress is purchased.
• Learn how to address conflict without allowing it to escalate to name calling or violence.
• Learn to call timeout before a discussion gets heated. “Negotiate this ahead of time,” Stith said. Plan a calming activity like watching television. Working out with a punching bag and driving away are both bad ideas during a timeout.

If a partner recognizes that a relationship is becoming destructive, he or she should seek help early.

“I’m optimistic. I’ve seen people who had ugliness in the marriage for 30 years, and they learned how to have conflicts that weren’t blaming or insulting. It’s never too late or too early,” Stith said.

College of Human Ecology offers a master’s and a doctoral program in marriage and family therapy.

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The journal primarily publishes clinical research that examines the empirical link between personal financial knowledge, attitudes and behaviors and personal and family well-being. It is published by the New Prairie Press, which was founded in 2007 by the Kansas State University Libraries.

The newest issue features works by several faculty members and graduate students from Kansas State University’s School of Family Studies and Human Services, which offers programs in marriage and family therapy and personal financial planning.

Contributions include:

• An editorial written by the journal’s editors, Kristy Archuleta, assistant professor and co-director of the university’s Financial Planning Clinic, and John Grable, Vera Mowery McAninch professor and director of the university’s Institute of Personal Financial Planning.
• Archuleta and several graduate students co-authored “An Initial Membership Profile of the Financial Therapy Association,” which describes the association’s membership diversity. Student co-authors included Anita K. Dale, doctoral student in personal financial planning; Dan Danford, doctoral student in personal financial planning; Erika Rasure, doctoral student in personal financial planning; Kelley Williams, doctoral student in personal financial planning; Emily Burr, master’s student in marriage and family therapy; Kurt Schindler, doctoral student in personal financial planning; and Brett Coffman, doctoral student in personal financial planning, Fort Mill, S.C.
• Rasure also wrote a book review on “Money and the Pursuit of Happiness: In Good Times and Bad” by Richard Trachtman.
• Megan Ford, a December 2010 master’s graduate in marriage and family therapy and now the ASPIRE Clinical Director at the University of Georgia in Athens, joined with Archuleta and Joyce Baptist, assistant professor, to co-author “A Theoretical Approach to Financial Therapy: The Development of the Ford Financial Empowerment Model.”
• Bradley Klontz, adjunct associate professor, and colleagues, wrote “The Effectiveness of an Interactive Multimedia Psychoeducational Approach to Improve Financial Competence in At-Risk Youth: A Pilot Study.”

(From K-State Today)

She hopes to work in adoption and foster care after graduation.

“This scholarship has provided a great opportunity for me to go to Africa where I will be able to grow in knowledge, cultural awareness and self-awareness,” she said. “It’s so important in today’s world to explore other cultures.”

Also receiving a Gilman Scholarship is Justine Gruen, an interdisciplinary social sciences and international studies major with minors in Spanish and nonprofit leadership. She will study in Turkey.

The Gilman Scholarship Program is congressionally funded and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. It was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act, and since 2001 has been offering grants to U.S. citizen undergraduate students to pursue academic studies abroad in hopes of preparing students to assume significant roles in a global economy. Award recipients are chosen through a competitive selection process.

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Debra Burnett

Debra Burnett, an assistant professor of family studies and human services, is finding that even though children at the age of 6 may recognize a comment as sarcastic, realizing when the words are meant to soothe or sear in a situation may be just the opposite.

The speech-language pathologist is looking at how children recognize and interpret irony, particularly sarcasm. She has found that children recognize and understand sarcastic comments better when the comments that are used are conventional. Her findings could help children recognize and understand sarcasm better, as well as help better convey social meanings to children with language impairment or who are on the autism spectrum.

“Irony is one of the times when people aren’t directly saying what they’re thinking,” Burnett said. “As a listener you’re trying to understand what someone means, and that requires a little bit of extra work cognitively and linguistically. Sarcasm, though, is one of the only instances where there is a mismatch between the words that are being used and what is really meant. For young kids, that’s an odd concept.”

Studies show that around age 6, children begin to understand that there is another meaning to what is being said, according to Burnett. But what is relatively unexplored is how the frequent use of certain sarcastic phrases may help kids in recognizing whether a speaker is being sarcastic or sincere in a situation.

In an ongoing study that tests this, Burnett is reading a series of short situations to 6-8 year-olds. Each story is accompanied by illustrations and features a gender-neutral character named Pat. Each also ends with one of two sarcastic comments. The comment is either specific to the situation that Pat is in or is conventional in nature, meaning that it is a word or phrase society uses in a sarcastic manner more often than in a literal manner. For example, “way to go.”

In one of the stories Pat’s sister is making cookies and Pat is excited to eat them. But the cookies are burned black after being removed from the oven, creating a negative situation. According to Burnett, people are more likely to be sarcastic in situations perceived as negative.

After seeing the burned cookies, Pat either tells the sister “nice job” — a conventional sarcastic comment — or “delicious cookies” — a situation-specific sarcastic comment.

“Sarcastic comments are said in a lower pitch and are drawn out a little more than the rest of our words,” Burnett said. “So each comment is read with the same inflection that people make when using sarcasm.”

In this instance, the vocal inflection on “nice job” is more slow and dramatic — seemingly stretching the phrase’s pronunciation. An audio example of Burnett using different inflections for “nice job” can be heard at http://bit.ly/v7tisa.

To ensure accuracy on her part, Burnett recorded all of the sarcastic phrases and then played them to independent raters who determined whether the phrases sounded sarcastic or sincere. Each comment, however, had been digitally filtered so that the enunciation was removed from the phrases. This left only the tone — or prosody — of Burnett’s voice for raters to listen to. An audio example of the prosody in sarcastic comments can heard at http://bit.ly/uOsz6s.

After being read the scenario, each child was asked four questions: what Pat meant by “nice job” or “delicious cookies” — depending on which was used; how Pat felt in the scenario; why Pat said the comment; and whether Pat wanted to make the sister feel good or bad.

Burnett found that children, regardless of age and gender, recognized the conventional comment of “nice job” as being sarcastic significantly more than the situational comment of “delicious cookies.” This reinforces that when used conventionally rather than situationally, children who are learning English can recognize an ironic statement and understand what is actually being said.

“For this age range of 6 to 8, I think this data solidifies the idea that it’s important for speech therapists and adults to work on conversation and pragmatics in language in order to teach kids these conventional phrases,” Burnett said. “That way when they encounter them, they understand what is actually being said.”

Additionally, Burnett has found the same results when testing children who have a language impairment.

Burnett presented her findings along with a poster at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s annual convention in late November. The study is funded through a K-State university small research grant.

Another study from Burnett that looks at how readers vocalize sarcasm and sincerity in children’s books to young listens can be read at http://kstatenews.org/?p=6510.

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The society recognizes graduate and undergraduate students for outstanding achievements in areas of research, leadership and scholarship. Members are selected based upon demonstrated integrity, high standards of scholarship and the promise of future achievement. Undergraduate students must have completed 45 semester hours and obtained a minimum 3.5 GPA. Graduate students must have completed 15 semester hours of graduate work and have a minimum 3.7 GPA.

They are:

Abilene Katt, sophomore in communication sciences and disorders; Trenton Colburn, sophomore in nutrition and kinesiology; Melissa Taylor, master’s student in public health; Rachel Lundquist, junior in interior design; Elizabeth Johnson, junior in family studies and human services; Katlyn Jones, sophomore in dietetics; Melissa Rousseau, junior in nutritional science; Megan Bolmer, master’s student in food service hospitality management and dietetics; Taylor Oliver, senior in public health nutrition and dietetics; Ashley Leckliter, sophomore in family studies and human services; Kandice Bowie, junior in family studies and human services; Taylor Main, junior in apparel and textiles;

Joanna Howard, senior in apparel and textiles; Kayla Fearing, senior in communication sciences and disorders; Joe Hohendorf, senior in dietetics; Kristi Leonard, senior in dietetics; Morgan Combs, senior in communication sciences and disorders; Shana Leachner, senior in family studies and human services; Yolanda Mitchell, doctoral student in human ecology; Kimberly Evans, master’s student in gerontology; Lindsay Johnson, junior in human ecology; Megan Murray, sophomore in nutrition and kinesiology; Kali Orrick, junior in family studies and human services; Robert Jones, master’s student in family students and human services; Shanna Stewart, sophomore in dietetics and nutrition and kinesiology;

Rachel Ryan, senior in family studies and human services; Katie Kuhn, senior in communication sciences and disorders; Lauren Hower, sophomore in early childhood education; Maria Baker, junior in communication sciences and disorders; Jacob Wright, sophomore in athletic training; Mary Richmond, doctoral student in human ecology;

Hilary Burton, sophomore in early childhood education; Nikki Schmelzle, senior in family studies and human services; Melissa Schrader, doctoral student in human ecology; Chelsea Spencer, sophomore in family studies and human services; Kirstin Howell, junior in family studies and human services; Laci Cornelison, master’s student in gerontology; Timothy Winchester, master’s student in family studies and human services; Eric Bustillos, sophomore in athletic training; Kelly Leonard, senior in public health nutrition and dietetics; Lover Chancler, doctoral student in human ecology; Brandy Tholstrup, sophomore in athletic training;

Cheryl Red, senior in public health nutrition; Sabrina Rinaldi, senior in family studies and human services; Emily Cozzetto, junior in family studies and human services; Ronald Sages, doctoral student in human ecology; Fatemeh Ghayournejadian, master’s student in apparel and textiles; Ebony Benson, master’s student in apparel and textiles; Emily Kilies, junior in hotel and restaurant management; Kellie Dooley, master’s student in gerontology; Shelia West, master’s student in apparel and textiles; Rachel Breneman, senior in dietetics; Melissa Forney, junior in dietetics; NaRita Anderson, doctoral student in human ecology; Kurt Schindler, doctoral student in human ecology; Justin Henegar, doctoral student in human ecology; Lisa Blohm, master’s student in family studies and human services; and Susan Pergal, master’s student in gerontology.

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The researchers, led by David Dzewaltowski, professor and kinesiology department head, include Bronwyn Fees, associate professor of family studies and human services, and Richard Rosenkranz, assistant professor of human nutrition.

They have developed a program called HOP’N Home, which stands for Healthy Opportunities for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Home. The researchers have been working on obesity prevention for more than 15 years. The latest segment of the program partners with the Butler County Health Department and K-State Research and Extension to reach 3- to 5-year-olds and their parents through activities conducted at child care facilities.

“Our research has moved to younger and younger age groups because we have found through the public health literature and surveillance that you need to start as young as possible,” Dzewaltowski said.

The project works with child care centers to build the capacity of staff to help children and their parents offer more physical activity and more nutritious food options as well as understand the impact of advertising on their food and physical activity choices. The project has been supported by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.

The project is divided into four phases. The first phase evaluated a 12-week program with K-State’s Stone House Early Childhood Education Center. The second phase occurred last spring, when the researchers partnered with Butler County Research and Extension to work with four child care providers.

The researchers are currently in the third phase of the project and are working with the Butler County Health Department to develop a training model that helps child care providers deliver the 12-week program. For the final phase, the researchers will partner with agencies such as Child Care Aware of Kansas to make the training model available to child care providers statewide.

“We’ve done rigorous evaluation of the program and we’re finding preliminary evidence that some parents are improving the home environment,” Dzewaltowski said. “The parents are providing more fresh fruits and reporting that they are eating fast food fewer times per week. They are also increasing visits to parks and reporting that their children are asking to play outside more and asking for few cakes, doughnut and muffins.”

The project’s 12-week program reaches young children through elements such as adult-led activities, dramatic play and snack time. It uses a traffic light, which helps children understand healthy eating through green and yellow foods, called “go” and “slow” foods. The program also uses a traffic light to understand physical activity versus sedentary activity as well as media that promote healthy or unhealthy options.

The researchers focus on two types of traffic foods with the 3- to 5-year-olds: healthy go foods that can be eaten all the time and slow foods that should be eaten in moderation. The children learn about these foods by singing a song composed by Teri Holmberg, a Kansas State University instructor of music and certified music therapist.

Daily activities focus on go and slow foods to help children start thinking about healthy eating. For instance, during dramatic play, children use a toy stove to cook pretend fruits and vegetables. At snack time, child care providers prompt the children to think if they are eating a go or slow food. The children also learn the difference between active and sedentary toys.

“Literature has suggested that the food industry has been very effective in marketing to young kids to nag their parents,” Dzewaltowski said. “What we are focusing on is positive nagging, or positive pestering, where kids start to think about asking their parents for healthy foods.”

The project also includes a home connection, where the child care providers inform parents through weekly activities and newsletters to help them encourage children to make healthy choices at home.

“I am excited about this age group because I think the children are receptive to the programs, but the parents are as well,” Dzewaltowski said. “Parents of this age group are at a time period where they are aware of the problems, they are hearing the media and they are looking for help.”

Other researchers involved in the project include: Tanis Hastmann, recent doctoral graduate; George Milliken, professor emeritus of statistics; and Barbara Roths, a dietician with Butler County Research and Extension.

For more program information visit http://www.hopnhome.org.

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While the holiday season presents countless opportunities to overspend and create excess stress, remaining budget conscientious and stress-free over the holidays can be easy, according to Jodi Kaus, director of Powercat Financial Counseling.

It all begins with a plan.

“Have a budget ahead of time as to how much you can afford,” said Kaus. The free financial counseling and education program for students is part of the School of Family Studies and Human Services. “Make a list before you go into the store so you know exactly where you are going to shop and what you are going to buy instead of meandering. Be conscientious of all of those savvy things retail stores have you do to get you to buy things that weren’t in your budget or plan.”

To ensure a comfortable amount of money is available for holiday gift purchases, Kaus advises setting aside money ahead of time, separate from savings. Using reward points, shopping online and staggering purchases can also make a difference.

Kaus said other ways to reduce costs during the holiday season include:

• Creating a detailed shopping list;
• Creating a budget;
• Setting a price limit for each gift;
• Shopping alone;
• Participating in gift exchanges;
• Giving the gift of time;
• Considering layaway; and
• Being creative.

Additional cost-saving ideas include sending e-cards and newsletters as opposed to traditional holiday cards, hosting a potluck as a holiday dinner and celebrating out of season.

Travel is an important consideration for many people during the holiday season, and there are ways of minimizing costs, Kaus said. Reserving all travel accommodations early and together often results in lower costs. Flexibility and booking off-season are also beneficial considerations.

Kaus also recommends advantage travel miles for customers who frequent the same airline.

“A lot of people don’t even sign up for those programs,” she said. “You might be able to use some of those at the times you really need to travel some distance.”

With trips, event planning and large expenditures, stress is easily amassed during the holiday season. To avoid the holiday blues, Kaus says moderation is key. Taking personal time daily, modifying traditions, regular exercise and eating properly are among the most important ways of limiting stress. Managing meal sizes can play a significant role in limiting stress and not hindering holiday celebrations.

“You still need to have fun, celebrate and enjoy grandma’s pie,” Kaus said. “But if you overindulge on everything, then later on you’ll have a lot of guilt and some possible stress issues with overindulging. Going in with a plan is important.”

For more holiday shopping strategies and a holiday budget worksheet, visit Powercat Financial Counseling’s website at http://www.k-state.edu/pfc.

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Two departments had 100 percent participation: Hospitality Management and Dietetics, and Apparel Textiles & Interior Design.

College co-chairs were Debby Hiett, dean’s office, and Migette Kaup, ATID.

The campaign raises money on campus for university and college programs.

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