Name Here Professor name here Course name and period 8 June 2016 Introduction Balancing parental duties with the ever changing educational system can be an incredibly difficult feat. Children take instruction from adults in their life who do not always agree, and may find themselves with instructions from their teacher that do not match the beliefs outlined by their own families. Often, different parents will take different approaches in their child’s lives. This scenario provides the perfect example of the difficulty of finding the perfect balance between helping a child and encouraging their independent working abilities. To determine the best course of action, the parent must analyze the problem, its possible solutions and their effects, and the ultimate best decision and implantation of that decision. Problem Definition An analysis of a problem will involve defining the problem in the context of its primary factors and the major research question. Within this scenario, the situation is complicated by multiple internal and external factors. First is the child’s inability to determine how to best approach the assignment and their lack of information. The internal battle between helping the child and encouraging them to be independent and hard-working on their own is a difficult process. Within this situation, the problem is further compounded by the interaction with another parent who is purchasing multiple materials for their child with the clear intent of either helping them or doing the project themselves. Thus, the primary problem within this scenario is the question of how this parent should approach their own child’s assignment, choosing to either help or stand back and allow the child to flounder. Analysis of the Problem Analyzing the problem is the next step to determining an effective solution. This will require outlining the benefits of each possible choice (GRDC 2016). First, the parent is faced with the problem of whether or not to assist their student. If they choose to assist, they will guarantee their child’s success on the project and in the class as a whole. However, they will be risking future reliance from that child. In the future, the child might expect help on any assignment and might not develop the proper self-sustainability that they will need to develop. Alternatively, the parent can choose not to assist. The intrinsic benefit posed by this choice is the fact that the child will be forced to work by themselves. They will earn any grade that they receive, as the grade will be for their own work. It will also teach the child not to rely on external help. However, this decision risks the child’s complete failure, given that the parent has noticed the child’s inability to follow all of the instructions. They might also suffer emotionally when their classmate who received parental assistance receives a better grade than them. Furthermore, analysis of this problem requires describing the validity of the initial problem. With these factors in mind, it is clear that the original problem remains valid, and that the parent of this situation is still faced with the question of helping their child or risking further failure, especially in light of the grocery store interaction with a parent who will choose to help their child. Generating Possible Solutions Following an analysis of the problem itself, the parent must attempt to generate any possible solutions for that problem. This stage will involve little evaluation and is meant to represent a brainstormed list of the possible choices facing the parent. These include: - Helping the child - Not helping the child - Helping the child with some aspects of the project and not others - Requesting external assistance from a sibling, if the child has one - Potentially hiring a tutor or babysitter to assist the child temporarily - Helping the child determine which part of the assignment they have missed and encouraging them to finish that assignment without providing further assistance - Doing the child oneself to avoid watching the child stress and allowing them to obtain a better grade Analysis of Solutions With these solutions in mind, the parent must next evaluate each potential solution. This will require identifying the benefits and risks of each choice (GRDC 2016). First is the choice to help the student. As outlined above, this solution will allow the student to obtain a better grade. Another potential benefit of this choice is the bonding time between the parent and child, and the fact that the child will feel as if the parent truly cares for them. However, with this solution, the parent risks future reliance from the child. They may not develop an ability to be self-sufficient and might not choose to work on their own assignments. Alternatively, the parent can avoid helping completely. Despite knowing that their child is struggling with the assignment and is lacking certain steps, the parent can allow the child to turn the assignment in and receive the poor grade. This will ensure that the child remains selfsufficient on future assignments. However, it also poses the risk that the child will fail and choose not to work as hard on other assignments, coming to view failure as a way of life. And the child might feel unloved by their parent if they see that their parent does not care. Finding a middle ground is another option. The parent could attempt to determine the more difficult steps of the assignment and help the child with those. For example, if a particular step requires more research than another, the parent could assist their child with that step, while still encouraging the child to do the major part of the work. Within this step, they could also identify the steps the child has missed and identify them without expressly offering assistance. Alternatively, the parent could do the project themselves, as is clearly intended by the parent in the grocery store. This would alleviate the child’s stress and ensure that they receive a great grade. However, as above, this risks the student’s future reliance on the parent and their lack of a proper work ethic. Finally, the parent could seek external assistance from a sibling, tutor, or babysitter. The latter two are temporary positions, thus alleviating the threat of permanent reliance from the child. Meanwhile, the child would succeed in the assignment. However, this is not as effective as parental assistance, as the parent would not be able to monitor just how much of the work the babysitter or tutor is completing. The Best Solution Upon careful review, the parent should decide that the best solution is the middle ground between assistance and no assistance. They can sit with their child and ask which steps the child struggles with. For example, if the child is struggling with a writing intensive portion of the project or is not able to conduct proper research, the parent can assist them with that. The key is that the child completes the majority of the work, writing and reading everything for themselves. The parent, in this solution, is offering little more than a guiding hand. Implementation of this Solution This solution’s implementation is directly affected by the student’s needs. If the student needs research assistance, the parent should take them to the library and encourage them to select books that are relevant to their topic. For example, if the paper is to be on the Solar system, the parent should take the child to the astronomy section of the library. If the child requires writing assistance, the parent can sit with the child and read the paper aloud to them, encouraging them to do this with all of their future writing. This will show the student that if something does not sound right when read aloud, then it is wrong. Implementation of the middle ground is a complicated process, because the middle ground will differ for every family. Before the above research steps, the parent should determine their child’s need for a middle ground. If they always work hard and are struggling on one assignment, for example, the parent can provide further assistance. This is the most effective solution because it allows the parent to assist the child without doing the work themselves. It will allow the child to procure an excellent grade and foster bonding time between the parent and child without the external risk of the child becoming too reliant on their parent’s assistance. Conclusion In this hypothetical scenario, the parent battled between whether to help or not help their child on an assignment. Careful analysis of the problem and its potential solutions revealed that the middle ground between assistance and no assistance was the best option, as determined by the child’s needs. After all, everyone needs help occasionally. This child deserves the help they need. References The Problem Solving Process. (n.d.). Retrieved June 08, 2016, from http://www.gdrc.org/decision/problem-solve.html
Purchase answer to see full attachment