A report of a school psychology internship and study of preparent expectations for future children

Abstract

This internship report is divided into two sections, a placement component and a research component. The first, a placement component, describes an internship completed at two sites on the Avalon Peninsula. The placement component addresses the settings, the goals and objectives of the internship, a description of how these were realized as well as the intern's personal reflections. Section two discusses a study identifying the expectations "preparents" hold for their future children. To gather such information, the study used survey data from thirty-four subjects. The study also attempted to determine if differences exist between the expectations of "pre-mothers" and “pre-fathers". Results identified thirty-three categories of desired traits and 27 groups of attributes considered undesirable. While no significant differences existed in the expectations held by males and females for their children, findings suggest that some gender differences might exist in the adolescent population. The results are believed to have implications for future parenting studies as well as educational programs and curriculum.