Online Divorce Education: Learning from Participants Who Want More

Abstract

Divorce education is designed for divorcing parents with minor children, and in a growing number of states, participation has become court-mandated to finalize a divorce. To increase accessibility, some states have adopted brief, online formats for divorce education programming. Evaluations are encouraging; however, less is known about how opinions on course length relate to participants’ views on the benefits of their participation. This study analyzed qualitative data from parents (n = 41) who thought their mandated divorce education course was too short. Results indicate that participants thought the course increased their knowledge of divorce-related matters. They also suggested improvements related to course content priorities. These findings may inform Extension specialists, family life practitioners, and program planners working to improve the delivery of online divorce education programs.

Keywords

• content
• course length
• divorce
• divorce education
• online divorce education