Single-mother families represent a large and growing segment of the population and are the poorest of all family types. There is a demonstrated link between educational attainment and employment and income, yet single mothers are also, as a group, the lowest-educated of all family heads. Little published research exists on the needs and issues of single-mother students. The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study was to discover and categorize the types of incidents that facilitate and hinder single mother students in their progress through a two-year college program. Ten single-mother students were interviewed using the critical incidents technique. Two-hundred-and-fifty two incidents were identified and categorized into three major and nine minor categories. The first major category was Intrapersonal, containing two minor categories, Coping Strategies and Academic Issues. Interpersonal, the next major category, subsumed five minor categories: Instructors; Children; Friends and Family Members; Other Students and Ex-Husbands. The third major category, Situational, contained two minor categories, College Administration and Policies and Government Services and Programs. Tentative implications for future research, counselling practice and social policy are discussed.

Single-mother families represent a large and growing segment of the population and are the poorest of all family types. There is a demonstrated link between educational attainment and employment and income, yet single mothers are also, as a group, the lowest-educated of all family heads. Little published research exists on the needs and issues of single-mother students. The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study was to discover and categorize the types of incidents that facilitate and hinder single mother students in their progress through a two-year college program. Ten single-mother students were interviewed using the critical incidents technique. Two-hundred-and-fifty two incidents were identified and categorized into three major and nine minor categories. The first major category was Intrapersonal, containing two minor categories, Coping Strategies and Academic Issues. Interpersonal, the next major category, subsumed five minor categories: Instructors; Children; Friends and Family Members; Other Students and Ex-Husbands. The third major category, Situational, contained two minor categories, College Administration and Policies and Government Services and Programs. Tentative implications for future research, counselling practice and social policy are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Previous academic literature and Government agendas and policies share concerns about schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be not continuing in education and having lower qualifications. Despite this, research has not considered why schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be are more likely to drop out of education or why it is so difficult for them to continue. This thesis is an in-depth study of the experiences and challenges faced by schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be while continuing in education. Within this research consideration is given to: the deficit model that characterises schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be as discussed in the existing research literature; the experiences and challenges of schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be while attending school; and the support provided by education and health professionals to schoolgirl mothers/mothersto- be. The analysis of data (from questionnaires and interviews) was guided by three research questions: What experiences and challenges do schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be (aged 18 and under) living in Scotland encounter when continuing in education? What are the different approaches taken by local authorities in supporting schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be whilst at school? How do education and health professionals (school staff, health visitors) in schools and the National Health Service (NHS) support schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be while continuing in education during pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood? A review of policy was carried out across all local authorities in Scotland asking for information about how schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be are supported in school. The results of the review helped to identify the local authorities to be approached for inclusion in the study. Eleven local authorities and twenty-nine schools or alternative provisions across Scotland are represented in this study. Forty-three schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be who attended schools or alternative provisions within the eleven local authorities participated. Schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be completed a questionnaire and participated in an individual or group interview. A follow-up interview was conducted 9-12 months later. Seventeen members of staff from schools or an alternative provision that participants attended were interviewed. An interview was also held with five health visitors from the five NHS Boards across Scotland that the identified local authorities fell within. Overall, the experiences of participants in this study often do not fit with the deficit model that characterises schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be in popular accounts or Government agendas and policies. Many participants had a ‘really good’ or ‘good’ experience of school before pregnancy, conflicting with the expectation of disengagement with education. Schoolgirl mothers do have conflicting legal demands to remain in education and care for their baby but the data do not suggest that all are either engaged or disengaged from the education system. Professionals sometimes unintentionally exacerbated difficulties. Only a minority of participants were given the opportunity of a flexible tailored curriculum to attend school and college. Schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be could have had a much better experience at school had support such as childcare and transport assistance been provided. The relationship between professionals and schoolgirl mothers/mothers-to-be is key to help them overcome the different experiences and challenges of continuing in education while pregnant or after having a baby.

No description available.

This study explored the lived experience of re/ehtering mothers who were entering baccalaureate nursing education for their first registered nursing credential. These re/entering women were either reentering higher education or entering for the first time. The participants in this study were mothers of 1 to 3 children. In-depth personal interviews and a focus group session were conducted with 5 re/entering mothers aged 28 - 45 years who were enrolled in the second year of nursing education in a community college setting. Analysis revealed five major themes that were incorporated into a narrative that reflected their lived experience as a multiple role learner in nursing education: time as a scarce resource, a personal need to achieve, feelings of guilt related to not "being there" for their children, re/entering women as the family organizer and their positive perception of their multiple role status. The voices of these women are heard in their stories that are interwoven throughout the narrative. The findings from this study suggest ways in which institutions of higher education might assist and support re/entering mothers and recommend this group of women as a target population for recruitment into nursing.

A qualitative study was conducted at Oakleigh Girls High School which aimed at exploring the ways in which seven teenage girls from a single-sex, predominantly middle-class state school negotiate the demands of schooling and parenting. Drawing upon the findings of the focus group interviews conducted, the study aimed to illuminate how these teenage mothers juggle their varied roles as mothers and learners and its effects for the educational outcome of young mothers at school. In this study I argue that even though the South African Schools Act (Department of Education 1996) regulates the support of pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers in schools, however teenage mothers still experience difficulties in schools. These difficulties range from fear of the parents’ response, child fathers’ response, as well as teachers’ response, rejection from peers and teachers, ridicule from teachers and peers, lack of support from teachers, decline in academic performance as well as the inability to participate in school activities. However in the same study there were positive elements that also surfaced, in that some teachers, learners as well as a support group provided some kind of support to the teenage mothers even though it was very minimal. Working with teachers to support young mothers at school remains important. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The purpose of this study was to discover how employed mothers who were graduate students coped with their many societal personas and still achieved their academic goals. Eight employed mothers who were graduate students were interviewed. Narrative inquiry guided the structure of the study. Phenomenological interviewing was used to gather evidence. A preinterview, a life history interview, a contemporary experience interview, and a reflective interview were conducted with each participant. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Profiles for each participant were created using thematic analysis and were member checked to ensure accuracy.Themes identified through the literature review were verified through thematic analysis of the transcripts. The themes identified were strength, persistence, time, self-improvement, and gender bias. The basis for the participants' strength and persistence were the life-altering events and achievements they had encountered. The participants self-identified as "survivors." To fulfill their responsibilities they were adept multitaskers and used extensive support networks. Participants pursued their graduate degrees for better employment as well as self-fulfillment. Internalized gender bias was a significant contributor to each woman's feelings of guilt. Guilt was attributed to the societal expectations imposed through being a mother, an employee, and a student. Significant tension in the form of guilt occurred between participants' perception of the role of mother as nurturing and the role of the student as empowering. Each participant managed her guilt by realizing the "self as able." The participants came to appreciate "I am good at what I do," and achieved merged identities.Global, institutional, and individual implications came from this study. In order for U. S. society to compete on a global level, more women must be educated to compete for leadership roles. Societal stereotypes made earning a graduate degree difficult for the women in this study. Institutions of higher education and those who make policies within those institutions must realize that the majority of graduate students at the master's degree level, and those in education at the doctoral level, do not fit the traditional graduate student stereotype. Women, especially, experience role conflict. The tensions participants experienced were real. Institutions of higher learning must address such issues as childcare, time to degree completion, and course accommodation if they wish to attract and retain high-level graduate women. Overall, this study found that employed mothers who are graduate students do experience significant tension and in spite of many barriers, do succeed. / Department of Educational Studies

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI company.

No description available.

This study explored the lived experience of re/ehtering mothers who were entering baccalaureate nursing education for their first registered nursing credential. These re/entering women were either reentering higher education or entering for the first time. The participants in this study were mothers of 1 to 3 children. In-depth personal interviews and a focus group session were conducted with 5 re/entering mothers aged 28 - 45 years who were enrolled in the second year of nursing education in a community college setting. Analysis revealed five major themes that were incorporated into a narrative that reflected their lived experience as a multiple role learner in nursing education: time as a scarce resource, a personal need to achieve, feelings of guilt related to not "being there" for their children, re/entering women as the family organizer and their positive perception of their multiple role status. The voices of these women are heard in their stories that are interwoven throughout the narrative. The findings from this study suggest ways in which institutions of higher education might assist and support re/entering mothers and recommend this group of women as a target population for recruitment into nursing. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate