Story Ideas for Media 3/9/09

News

Campus preparing for spring break. This is the last week of winter quarter classes for Ohio State students. Final exams take place next Monday-Thursday (3/16-19); and winter commencement for some 2,000 graduates takes place at 1 p.m. on Sunday (3/22) at St. John Arena. Students enjoy spring break – or participate in Ohio State's "Alternative Spring Break" program in one of 22 service sites around the nation and world. Spring quarter classes begin on March 30.

Research

Ohio State study: Supportive co-parenting may reduce some child behavior problems. Warm, cooperative co-parenting between mothers and fathers may help protect children who are at risk for some types of behavior problems, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that supportive co-parenting helped children who have difficulty regulating their behavior and attention levels – what researchers call effortful control.
The study looked at changes in children's level of aggressive behavior and other forms of "acting out" as they went from 4 years old to 5 years old.
Results showed that children who had low levels of effortful control generally showed increases in these negative behaviors over the course of the year – unless their parents had a supportive co-parenting relationship.
"It's a positive message for parents," said Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, lead author of the study and assistant professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University.
"If you support your spouse in front of your child, show that you are a united front, it can help prevent some behavior problems in children who may be at risk." CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/effortcontrol.htm

Events

Moooving first-graders with a hands-on science lesson – March 11. Ohio State students will offer an unusual hands-on science lesson to some first-graders from Columbus School for Girls (CSG) on Wednesday (3/11) at Ohio State's Waterman Dairy Farm, 2433 Carmack Rd. Ohio State students, as part of their agricultural education class on "methods of teaching in nonformal learning environments" will be slopping around the dairy farm and use cows, hay, poop and butter to teach the first-graders science. Media are welcome to cover the event between 10:30-11:30 a.m. for lessons on the breeds of cows, and how they turn grass to energy. (Enter the farm from W. Lane Ave. between Kenny and North Star.) The day at the farm is the capstone experience for the Ohio State students, who have been working with the CSG students throughout the quarter. For the class, students developed a lesson plan that follows National Science Standards to teach dairy science, agriculture and the environment. CONTACT: Amy Murray, Media Relations, (614) 292-8385.

The person listed as the CONTACT will have the most current information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276, Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748, Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110, or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.