Apple Sauce & Academia: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Student-Mothers' Experiences in Graduate School
Date
2019-04-29
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Abstract
Despite extensive research on the impacts of stress on the traditional student body in higher education, the presence of mothers in graduate school and their unique experiences and contributions have all but gone unnoticed. Specifically, the emotional and physical impacts of gendered role integration in graduate school remain largely unknown. In this study, I explore the lived experience of six Canadian graduate student-mothers. All of the participants were married, residing with the biological father of their children, and were between the ages of 30 and 41 years during their time in graduate school. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a guide, semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain a deeper understanding of the student-mothers’ multiple-role experiences. Five over-arching themes emerged (a) power of values, (b) socio-ecological system, (c) experience of role integration, (d) coping strategies, and (e) reflections of meaning. A better understanding of the experience of graduate student-mothers can help inform treatment protocols for medical and mental health professionals, provide recommendations to current and prospective students, as well as foster compassion and systemic change within the academe.
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Keywords
mother, graduate school, role integration, values, coping
Citation
Fix, J. A. (2019). Apple Sauce & Academia: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Student-Mothers' Experiences in Graduate School (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.