Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Shackson Dissertation.pdf (926.22 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Stories of Mother-Students: Narrative Inquiry of White, First-Generation College Students Who Are Mothers

Shackson, Catherine O'Kane
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4022-2559
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami153219755264718

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Educational Leadership.
Mothers are a significant but overlooked subpopulation of college students. One-fourth of all undergraduate students are parents raising children, and the vast majority of these parents are women, yet very few research studies have been conducted on parents or mothers in higher education. This narrative inquiry study looks at how mother-students narrate the lived experiences of being a mother and a student. Participants are first-generation college students who are successful students on commuter campuses. The intersecting locations of these participants on the constructs of class, gender, and race are examined here. Bourdieu’s social class theories are used to examine these participants’ lower social class placement, such as limited financial resources, limiting habitus, and less valuable social and cultural capital. Standpoint feminism theories are used to understand these participants as women and mothers. Whiteness theories of race are used to acknowledge the participants’ location on this construct. A raced and classed notion of motherhood (Collins, 2009; Griffith & Smith, 2005; hooks, 1984) is used as a lens to understand these mother-students’ mothering discourse. This hegemonic view of motherhood, which envisions mothers as middle or upper class, white, married, not working, and parenting alone, is embraced by these participants. However, these women are all full-time students, half work part time, half are single, all have limited economic and other resources, and many have mental health issues themselves or in a family member. These participants experience overwhelming stress from their use of this mothering discourse without the presumed resources. Yet they are still somehow succeeding as college students.
Kathleen Knight Abowitz (Committee Chair)
137 p.
Higher Education; Womens Studies
Mothers; mother-students; mothers in higher education; mothers as students; parents as students; first-generation college student; narrative inquiry; Bourdieu; standpoint feminism; motherhood; mothering discourse

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shackson, C. O. (2018). Stories of Mother-Students: Narrative Inquiry of White, First-Generation College Students Who Are Mothers [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami153219755264718

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shackson, Catherine. Stories of Mother-Students: Narrative Inquiry of White, First-Generation College Students Who Are Mothers. 2018. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami153219755264718.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shackson, Catherine. "Stories of Mother-Students: Narrative Inquiry of White, First-Generation College Students Who Are Mothers." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami153219755264718

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami153219755264718
385
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.