Record Details
Mother and student : the experience of mothering in college
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Mother and student : the experience of mothering in college |
| Names |
PareĢ, Elizabeth R.
(creator) |
| Date Issued | 2009 (iso8601) |
| Note | Access restricted to the OSU Community |
| Abstract | Traditionally the academic discussion and popular discourse surrounding how a female will engage the role of mother primarily focuses on the decision of whether to be "at-home" or "at-work". However, this ignores the many different parents, parenting decisions, and role conflict experiences that exist in contemporary society. For instance, a growing number of mothers are also students within higher education. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore what it means to be a student-mother, and the lived experience of combining student and mother roles simultaneously. The sample for this study includes 24 mothers, aged 18 to 30, who were attending college at least part time as either an undergraduate or graduate student, while caring for at least one minor child under the age of five. The findings include 14 undergraduate student mothers and 10 graduate student-mothers illustrating the student-mothers' constructions of their mother and student roles, their prioritization of these roles, and potential social supports for parenthood and educational pursuits. Student mothers prioritized motherhood, experienced spillover as a result of occupying multiple roles, and lacked support on a regular basis from both family and the university. |
| Genre | Thesis |
| Topic | Mothers -- Education (Higher) |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/47556 |
