Module Code 單元編號 ECE6175 Module Title 單元名稱 UNDERSTANDING FAMILIES IN EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS Module Synopsis 單元概要 Educators and community service providers have frequent contact with families. Therefore, this course aims to help students develop an understanding of the literature on family studies, and to link it to practical issues that educators and community service providers face when dealing with different types of families. Using a family systems perspective as an overarching framework, the course helps students understand different family subsystems (e.g., marital, parent-child, sibling) as contexts where children and adolescents learn skills and develop competencies. The emphasis is on how these subsystems operate in reciprocal ways, and how they afford opportunities for and place constraints on the development of children and youth of different ages. Particular attention is directed to the unique situation of Hong Kong, including the pervasive influence of Chinese culture, the intense conflict between work and family, and the common involvement of grandparents and domestic workers in childrearing. Finally, the course explores practical applications of research to the real world, and discusses how various factors may affect the functioning of families from different backgrounds (e.g., low-income, immigrants, ethnic minorities) and children with different needs (e.g. ASD, ADHD).