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Serving single-parent families with adolescents: An inclusive and intergenerational challenge. This article focused on the ministry to single-parent families after divorce. The study had its origins in the author’s observation that adolescents from single-parent homes are picked up and dropped off by their parents for catechesis, but that the parents are not involved in activities in the congregation – not even just to attend the worship service. The research had the objective to investigate why single-parent families do not experience themselves as true families within the church and do not receive the necessary support in the faith formation of their children. The fourfold reflective equilibrium approach of Osmer was used as the frame for how this article was structured. As a basis for the interpretation of the empirical findings, the relationship between youth and family ministry is portrayed to lay a theological basis for an inclusive approach. The qualitative empirical study included 17 randomly selected single parents. The empirical study confirmed that single parents find it difficult to survive. The demands placed upon them are intense and they depend on a support network to meet the basic needs of the family. These single parents further believe that the church cannot help them with this. The research confirmed that single parents do not experience acceptance in the church and that they do not receive support in the faith formation of their children. The two hermeneutic spheres for the understanding of faith are a source of tension for the adolescents because of the difference in understanding of matters of faith between their divorced parents. The involvement of grandparents was found to be a key factor in the support of the single-parent family and needs to be addressed in an intergenerational approach. The positive involvement of the local pastor can also be used as a changing factor in the support of the single-parent family. Contribution: This article contributes to a paradigm shift in the understanding of how families are constructed, especially single-parent families. The article reports on research that will be valuable for congregations in planning their ministry towards single-parent families.

The present paper considers the main constraints and opportunities in the construction of girls' educational projects in Kyrgyzstan in relation to their subjective well-being from the intergenerational perspective. Today children have got new educational opportunities brought by various social transformations; at the same time, they come across new challenges which are often related to social inequality and economic problems on the local level. Especially female educational trajectories seem to experience noticeable effects of these transformations. The author uses the theoretical concept of social capital to observe the role of the family in the construction of girls' educational projects. In addition to this, the applied intergenerational approach allows to observe the changes and continuities in parent-child relations. The findings show that in Kyrgyzstan "being well-educated" continues to be an essential element, the foundation of girls' educational projects, similar to how it was for girls' mothers in the same age. In the context of a strong hierarchical family structure and low level of state opportunities, today girls tend to rely only on family social and cultural capital for the realisation of educational projects. However, families' actions are often aimed at the future prosperity, neglecting children's interests at the present time. Besides, girls face gender-specific limitations related to the perception of women's roles in the society. The frames within which girls can take decisions regarding educational trajectories are strongly defined by their families. This often leads to the feeling of uncertainty among girls and ambivalence between global promises and the "actual" local opportunity structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Parasitoids Anaphes flavipes have potential use in biological control of important crop pests. • Fitness of parasitoids is generally studied in terms of fertility in the F1 generation. • Here, we used a novel intergenerational approach to study parasitoid fitness. • Using this model, we show that females reduce their own fertility to increase the fertility of individual offspring. The gregarious parasitoid strategy allows multiple larvae to complete development in a single host due to their tolerance and/or lower mobility, and thus flexibly adjust their reproductive potential. Reproductive potential is traditionally measured as the number of each mother's offspring. In our previous study we showed the benefits of an intergenerational approach to assessess the fitness through measuring fertilities in F1 and F2 generation – bringing possible predictions about the future population density of parasitoids and their use in biological control. Here, again using the gregarious parasitoid Anaphes flavipes as model species, we experimentally demonstrate the effects of superparasitism due to scarcity of host on fertility. Whereas the conventional approach would assume a simple reduction of female fertility, our intergenerational approach shows that the reduction of female fertility translates as an actual increase in the individual offspring fertility. We showed the same effect using an experiment where females had different visual interactions and different timings between parasitation. The fertility of females did not differ, but the distribution of clutch sizes, and consequently the body size and fertility of the offspring, was statistically different. The intergenerational approach in these groups therefore reveals a fertility difference in the F2 generation that is not visible from the F1 generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the values of a reminiscence programme, adopting an intergenerational approach, on older persons with early dementia and youth volunteers. Method: A pre- and post- one group design was adopted. Forty-nine elderly participants with early dementia and 117 youth volunteers participated in the study. Each elderly participant was assigned to two youth participants. This dyad group participated in a 12-session reminiscence programme. The youth participants acted as facilitators to prompt the elderly participants to share and discuss past events and experiences, and to support them to fabricate a personalized life-story book. An occupational therapist provided ongoing support and monitoring. The elderly participants were evaluated by the Chinese version of Mini-mental State Examination, Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (QoL-AD), and Chinese version of Geriatric Depression Scale (CGDS) before and after the programme. Dementia Quiz (DQ), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a 20-item feedback questionnaire on the programme were used to evaluate the youth participants. Results: Significant pre- and postprogramme differences were found for QoL-AD (mean change = −1.91; 95% CI = −3.18, −0.64) and CGDS (mean change = 1.86; 95% CI = 0.92, 2.80) among the elderly participants, and for DQ (mean change = −1.14; 95% CI = −2.11, −0.17) among the youth participants. Volunteers also showed positive appreciation of older persons and opined that this community service provided them an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with elderly relatives. Some volunteers, however, commented the heavy workload of the reminiscence programme. Conclusion: The intergenerational reminiscence programme suggests mutually beneficial values for both groups of participants. Whilst it is feasible to involve trained volunteers in the implementation of dementia-related programmes, it is essential that they are adequately trained and that ongoing support and monitoring are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an investigation into Chinese EFL teachers’ knowledge and understanding of teaching English as a foreign language within the context of a time of tremendous social change in China. In a medium-sized city, biographical narrative interviews and observation were used to three Chinese secondary EFL teachers, of three successive generations. An in-depth narrative analysis interpreting their metaphors, and constructing their life stories is employed to understand the biographical narrative data. It indicates how individual teacher’s knowledge is both constrained and enabled by themselves and by the wider society they live in, and how change and continuity are intertwined in the teaching and learning practices of the three generations. This paper also addresses certain key issues in biographical narrative studies, namely subjectivity, representation, and cultural bearings, and teachers’ knowledge, all of which constitute a form of pedagogy in educational research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]