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Single mothers’ experience of community college education : a critical incidents study

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.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/4335
Date05 1900
CreatorsBelter, Wendy Lynne
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
RelationUBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/]

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