The authors developed and evaluated an online foster parent training system designed specifically for low-bandwidth Internet connections and individuals with limited Internet/computer experience. After preliminary onsite evaluations, a 2-week field test was conducted to evaluate the following dimensions: foster parents' pre- to post-test scores on two training modules; user satisfaction ratings; foster parent dropout rate; and amount of communication between participants and researchers. Foster parents made statistically significant pre-/post-test gains in both content areas (Pre-test M1 = 46.6%, Post-test M1 = 86.4; Pre-test M2 = 46.6%, Post-test M2 = 92.6%), both foster parents and social workers gave the system high ratings on all satisfaction survey items, and the foster parent dropout rate was 27%. Future research and implications for the foster care system are discussed.
RosenfeldA.PilowskyD.FineP.ThorpeM.FeinE.SimmsM.HalfonN.IrwinM.AlfaroJ.SaletskyR.NickmaS.Foster Care: An UpdateJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36:4, pp. 448–457, 1997
3.
PasztorE.WynneS.Foster Parent Retention and Recruitment: The State of the Art in Practice and Policy, Child Welfare League of America, Washington, D.C., 1995
4.
WoolfG.An Outlook for Foster Care in the United States, Child Welfare, 69, pp. 75–81, 1990
5.
Child Welfare League of America, Child Abuse and Neglect: A Look at the States, Child Welfare League of America, Washington, D.C., 1997
6.
PecoraP.WhittakerJ.MalucciaA.BarthR.PlotnickR.The Child Welfare Challenge, Aldin De Gruyter, New York, 1992
7.
L. Titterington, Foster Care Training: A Comprehensive Approach, Child Welfare, 69:2, pp. 157–165, 1990
8.
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Service, Child and Family Services Review, Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Service, Topeka, Kansas, 2001
9.
CraseS.LekiesD.MoormanD.BaumA.YatesA.Gillis-ArnoldR.Riggins-CaspersK.The Effects of Foster Parent Pre-Service Training on Parenting Attitudes, Foster Parenting Attitudes, and Foster Care Knowledge, in Redefining Family Policy: Implications for the 21st Century, MercierJ.GaraskyS.ShelleyM. (eds.), Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, pp. 135–154, 2000
10.
GrimmB.HurtubiseI.Child and Family Services Reviews: An Ongoing Series. Part I: A Background to the Review Process, Journal of the National Center for Youth Law, 24:1, pp. 1–30, 2003
11.
LeeJ.HollandT.Evaluating the Effectiveness of Foster Parent Training, Research on Social Work Practice, 1, pp. 162–174, 1991
12.
BoydL.RemyL.Is Foster-Parent Training Worthwhile?Social Science Review, 52, pp. 275–295, 1978
13.
GuerneyL.WolfgangW.Long-Range Evaluation of Effects on Foster Parents of a Foster Parent Skills Training Program, Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 10, pp. 33–37, 1981
14.
SanchiricoA.JablonkaK.Keeping Foster Children Connected to Their Biological Parents: The Impact of Foster Parent Training and Support, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17, pp. 185–203, 2000
15.
National Foster Parent Association, State Foster Parent Training Requirements, Gig Harbor, Washington, 2004. Retrieved July 4, 2004 from: www.nfpainc.org/aboutFP/stateReqs.cfm?page=4
16.
Author?, The Kansas Foster Parent Survey: Final Report, James Bell Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia, 2004
17.
EdelsteinS.KrospenskeV.HowardJ.Project T.E.A.M.S., Social Work, 35, pp. 313–318, 1990
18.
National Commission on Family Foster Care, A Blueprint for Fostering Infants, Children and Youths in the 1990s, Child Welfare League of America, Washington, D.C., 1991
19.
PicardD.The Future in Distance Training, Training, pp. 5–10, November 1996
20.
KruseK.Real World WBT: Lessons Learned at the Fortune 500 ASTD International Conference and Exposition, The American Society for Training and Development, Atlanta, Georgia, 1999
BuzhardtJ.SembG.Integrating Online Instruction in a College Classroom to Improve Cost Effectiveness, Teaching of Psychology, 32, pp. 63–66, 2005
23.
DiBiaseD.Is Distance Teaching More Work or Less Work?The American Journal of Distance Education, 14:3, pp. 139–141, 2000
24.
BostockS.Designing Web-Based Instruction for Active Learning, in Web-Based Instruction, KhanB. H. (ed.), Educational Technology Publications, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1997
25.
PatelA.Syntactic Processing in Language and Music: Different Cognitive Operations, Similar Neural Resources?Music Perception, 16:1, pp. 27–42, 1998
26.
LesserL.Technology-Rich Standards-Based Statistics: Improving Introductory Statistics at the College Level, T.H.E. Journal, 25:7, 1998
27.
HortonW.Designing Web-Based Training, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2000
28.
TaylorC.The Digital Divide—So Close and Yet So Far, The Times Almanac, Information Please in Learning Network, pp. 580–581, 2002
29.
DeOllosI. Y.MorrisD. C.A Re-Examination of Age and Attitudes toward Computers a Decade Later, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 32:4, pp. 429–437, 2003–2004
30.
GarrisonS.BorgiaD.Using an Internet-Based Distance Learning Model to Teach Introductory Finance, in Teaching with Technology: Rethinking TraditionLloydL. (ed.), Information Today, Inc., Medford, New Jersey, pp. 207–214, 2000
31.
JonesP.PackhamG.MillerC.JonesA.An Initial Evaluation of Student Withdrawals Within an e-Learning Environment: The Case of E-College Wales, Electronic Journal on e-Learning, 2:1, pp. 113–120, 2004
