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      Motherhood and Teaching in Jamaica: A Modified Life History Approach

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      Date
      2015-10-06
      Author
      Thomas, Coralee
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
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      Abstract
      This study uses a modified life history approach to gain deeper insights into the lived experiences of three teachers who became mothers while serving in Jamaica. This study was conceptualized as a result of my experiences as a teacher who became a mother. I was desirous of investigating if other teachers who became mothers in Jamaica experienced similar personal and professional transformation as a result of motherhood. The use of a life history approach necessitates an exploration of the wider historical, familial, socio-political, cultural, and economic factors influencing the lived experiences of participants and the meanings they give to their experiences. Dominant themes highlighted in the data include: the ideology that the overarching goal of education in Jamaica is for social mobility and an escape mechanism from poverty. Becoming a mother has resulted in participants taking greater levels of interest in the holistic development of students, rather than only emphasizing their academic development as they did prior to becoming mothers. Participants also developed more empathy for parents and closer collegial relationships when they became mothers. Participants’ relationships with administration were two-fold; on one hand they lobbied for improvements to their working conditions which may have a positive impact on their family life; while on the other hand, they also cared more about self-preservation in order to adequately meet the needs of their families. Motherhood also provided opportunities for participants to become more involved in various social groups in their communities. Various socio-political and economic challenges in Jamaica resulted in participants migrating to a Prairie city with their families. However, living in a multi-cultural society where they are racial minorities has presented its own challenges. Participants are negotiating the notion of home and being outsiders.
      Degree
      Master of Education (M.Ed.)
      Department
      Educational Foundations
      Program
      Educational Foundations
      Supervisor
      Miller, Dianne; Knudson, Sarah
      Copyright Date
      August 2015
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2015-08-2195
      Subject
      Motherhood, teaching, feminism, life history research
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      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
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