Parental educational support for adolescence in single-mother families of a low-income community
| dc.contributor.advisor | Daniels, Doria | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Jacobs, Carmelita | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Educational Psychology. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-11-25T08:11:41Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-12-11T06:54:03Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-11-25T08:11:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-12-11T06:54:03Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH SUMMARY : This dissertation explores the stories of educational support within single-mother families from a low socio-economic community in the Western Cape of South Africa. Research on singlemother families tends to adopt a deficit perspective about parent support (Aragon, 2018; Baquendano-Lopez et al., 2013; Koh, Stauss, Coustaut & Forrest, 2017) and single mothers have been described as uninvolved parents (Hampden-Thompson, 2009; Knowles & Holmström, 2013; Murry & Brody, 1999; Musick & Meier, 2010). Being raised in a lowincome single-mother family is often presumed to be an educational disadvantage for children (Gagnon, 2016, 2018; Hampden-Thompson, 2009; Hampden-Thompson & Galindo, 2015). Furthermore, research has focused on parent support for children in the earlier grades, and often overlooked parent support for later developmental stages of children’s lives. This study aimed to deepen understanding of adolescent experiences of educational support and to apply a lens that would highlight the often misrecognised informal and non-traditional forms of support within single-mother families. To explore this topic, the study adopted a critical framework informed by feminist theory, the bio-ecological model, Bourdieu’s theory of capital, Yosso’s theory of community cultural wealth, and emotional capital. For the study, six families were purposively selected in accordance with the following profile: (a) the family unit had to be headed by a single mother; (b) the family unit had to contain an adolescent between the ages of 14 and 18; (c) the adolescent had to be enrolled in a high school; and (d) the adolescent had to have been raised by a single mother for most of his/ her life. This study adopted a social constructivist paradigm and used a multiple case study design. As part of the methods of data collection, the adolescent and single mother participants partook in qualitative, semi-structured interviews and the adolescents partook in a focus group discussion after all of the interviews were completed. The data were analysed through thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that the single-mother families in this study faced significant challenges, however the mothers acted as encouraging, stabilising pillars that created supportive conditions for their children to be resilient and to stay committed to their education. Adolescents navigated many challenges such as poverty, longing for a father who cares and shows interest, unsafe living conditions, and limited educational resources and physical space in their homes. However, they perceived their mothers as supportive and maintained positive hopes and dreams for their futures. The findings show that the mothers supported their children in informal, yet valuable ways. These include: the mothers used their own stories to build aspirational capital; they fostered positive relationships with their children; they were resourceful and willing to make sacrifices; they reported that they encouraged their children daily; they used spirituality as a form of support; they accessed social and familial capital; and they made attempts to engage with their children’s schools. The findings therefore contribute to existing literature by centralising the single-mother family as a legitimate family unit and acknowledging that an absent father is not indicative of an absence of other valuable forms of support. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Hierdie studie was ’n ondersoek na die stories van opvoedkundige ondersteuning in enkelmoedergesinne uit ’n lae sosio-ekonomiese gemeenskap in die Wes-Kaap van Suid-Afrika. Navorsing oor enkelmoedergesinne laat veel te wense oor as dit kom by ouerondersteuning (Aragon, 2018; Baquendano-Lopez, Alexander & Hernandez, 2013; Koh, Stauss, Coustaut & Forrest, 2017) en enkelmoeders is al as onbetrokke ouers beskryf (Hampden-Thompson, 2009; Knowles & Holmström, 2013; Murry & Brody, 1999; Musick & Meier, 2010). Om groot te word in ’n lae-inkomste enkelmoedergesin word dikwels beskou as nadelig vir kinders se opvoeding (Gagnon, 2016; 2018; Hampden-Thompson, 2009; Hampden-Thompson & Galindo, 2015). Verder fokus navorsing meestal op ouers se ondersteuning van kinders in laer grade en gee nie aandag aan ouers se ondersteuning in die latere ontwikkelingsfases van ’n kind se lewe nie. Die studie het beoog om adolessente se ervarings van opvoedkundige ondersteuning beter te verstaan en deur ’n lens te kyk wat fokus plaas op die informele en nie-tradisionele vorme van ondersteuning binne enkelmoedergesinne. Om hierdie onderwerp te ondersoek het die studie gesteun op ’n kritiese raamwerk wat deur feministeteorie, die bio-ekologiese model, Bourdieu se teorie van kapitaal, Yosso se teorie van kulturele rykdom in gemeenskappe en emosionele kapitaal aangevul is. Ses families is vir die studie gekies spesifiek omdat hulle aan die volgende kriteria voldoen het: a) ’n enkelmoeder moes aan die hoof van die gesinseenheid staan; b) daar moes ’n adolessent tussen die ouderdom van 14 en 18 in die gesinseenheid wees; c) die adolessent moes hoërskool bywoon; en d) die adolessent moes in ’n enkelmoedergesin groot geword het vir die meeste van sy/haar lewe. Hierdie studie het ’n sosiaal konstruktivistiese paradigma aangeneem en ’n meervoudige gevallestudie-ontwerp is gebruik. As deel van die data-insameling metodes het die adolessente en enkelmoeders deelgeneem aan kwalitatiewe, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en die adolessente het deelgeneem aan 'n fokusgroepbespreking nadat al die onderhoude voltooi is. Die data is geanaliseer deur middel van tematiese inhoudsanalise. Die bevindinge het getoon dat enkelmoedergesinne in die studie noemenswaardige uitdagings teëkom, maar ten spyte hiervan het die moeders opgetree as pilare wat ondersteuning gebied het sodat hulle kinders getrou hulle studies vol kon hou. Adolessente het verskeie uitdagings genavigeer soos armoede, ’n hunkering na ’n vader wat vir hulle omgee en belangstelling toon, onveilige lewensomstandighede asook beperkte opvoedkundige bronne en fisiese spasie in hulle tuistes. Ten spyte hiervan beskou hulle steeds hul moeders as ondersteunend en behou positiewe hoop en drome vir hulle toekoms. Die bevindinge wys dat die moeders hul kinders op informele, maar steeds waardevolle wyses ondersteun het. Dit sluit in: die moeders wat hul eie stories gebruik as inspirasie vir hul kinders om sukses na te jaag; hulle het positiewe verhoudings met hulle kinders gekweek; hulle was vindingryk en bereid om opofferings te maak; hulle het gemeld dat hulle hul kinders elke dag aanmoedig; hulle het spiritualiteit as ’n vorm van ondersteuning gebruik; hulle het van sosiale en familiale kapitaal gebruik gemaak; en gepoog om betrokke te raak by hulle kinders se skole. Die bevindinge dra dus by tot die bestaande literatuur deur die enkelmoedergesin te sentraliseer as ’n geldige gesinseenheid asook erkenning te gee dat ’n afwesige vader nie aanduidend is van ’n tekort aan ander waardevolle vorme van ondersteuning nie. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | |
| dc.format.extent | xiii, 180 pages ; illustrations, includes annexures | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107230 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | |
| dc.subject | Teenagers -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Children of single parents -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Low-income single mothers -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Parent and teenager -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Culture -- Social aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Parental educational support for adolescence in single-mother families of a low-income community | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |