Barriers to School-Based Parent Involvement While Living in Public Housing: A Mother’s Perspective

The Qualitative Report ◽

10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3062 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie Lechuga-Peña ◽

Daniel Brisson

Keyword(s):

Parent Involvement ◽

Public Housing ◽

Low Income ◽

School Involvement ◽

Language Differences ◽

Positive Behaviors ◽

School Based ◽

Teachers And Parents ◽

Low Income Mothers ◽

Depth Interviews

Parent involvement is associated with child academic outcomes, positive behaviors, and social skills. This qualitative study explored school-based parent involvement barriers experienced by nine low-income mothers. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from mothers participating in a community-based program offered in a large public housing neighborhood. Findings included three main barriers: (a) cultural and language differences in their children’s school, (b) undertones of racism from teachers and parents, and (c) being the primary caregiver or sole provider for their children. Although all parents experience challenges to school involvement, low-income mothers face additional obstacles preventing them from engaging in their children’s schools. This perceived lack of school involvement can lead to feelings of helplessness, shame, and stigma.

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“Why Don’t They Just Use Cloth?” Gender Policy Vacuums and the Inequalities of Diapering

Gender & Society ◽

10.1177/08912432211067966 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 089124322110679

Author(s):

Jennifer Randles

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Gender Policy ◽

Structural Problems ◽

Bank Staff ◽

The Social ◽

Feminist Theories ◽

Low Income Mothers ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Policy Vacuums ◽

Diaper Need

Drawing on feminist theories of parenting and the welfare state, I analyze experiences of diaper need as a case of how gender, class, and race inequalities shape the social organization of caregiving and limited policy responses. Data from in-depth interviews with 70 mothers who experienced diaper need and 40 diaper bank staff revealed obstacles low-income mothers face in managing lack of access to children’s basic needs and how gendered assumptions of parental responsibility thwart public diaper support efforts. I use this case to theorize gender policy vacuums: These occur when gender disparities and ideologies prevent systematic responses to structural problems. Empirically this study contributes to understandings of diaper need as a problem of the gender structure that cannot be solved with alternative diapering methods that assume middle-class, white, androcentric privileges. Theoretically it illuminates key mechanisms by which feminized care labor is devalued and rendered invisible and how this erasure rationalizes lack of redress for gendered inequalities and creates policy gaps around caregiving.

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“And You're Telling Me Not to Stress?” a Grounded Theory Study of Postpartum Depression Symptoms among Low-Income Mothers

Psychology of Women Quarterly ◽

10.1177/036168430903300309 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 351-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Laura S. Abrams ◽

Laura Curran

Keyword(s):

Grounded Theory ◽

Postpartum Depression ◽

Low Income ◽

Real Life ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Theory Analysis ◽

The Core ◽

Low Income Mothers ◽

Feeling Overwhelmed ◽

Depth Interviews

Low-income mothers in the U.S. are more likely to experience postpartum depression (PPD) and less likely to seek treatment than their middle-class counterparts. Despite this knowledge, prior research has not provided an in-depth understanding of PPD symptoms as they are experienced by low-income mothers. Through in-depth interviews, this study investigated low-income mothers' ( n = 19) experiences and explanatory frameworks for their PPD symptoms. Grounded theory analysis uncovered five main categories that linked the participants' PPD symptoms to their lived experiences of mothering in poverty, including: (1) ambivalence, (2) caregiving overload, (3) juggling, (4) mothering alone, and (5) real-life worry. The analysis further located the core experience of PPD for low-income mothers as “feeling overwhelmed” due to mothering in materially and socially stressful conditions. These findings challenge the prevailing biomedical discourse surrounding PPD and situate mothers' symptoms in the context of the material hardships associated with living in poverty.

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Subsidized Housing and Low-Income Mother’s School-Based Parent Involvement: Findings from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study Wave Five

Child & Youth Care Forum ◽

10.1007/s10566-018-9481-y ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 323-338

Author(s):

Stephanie Lechuga-Peña ◽

David Becerra ◽

Felicia M. Mitchell ◽

Kristina Lopez ◽

Cindy C. Sangalang

Keyword(s):

Parent Involvement ◽

Low Income ◽

Subsidized Housing ◽

Fragile Families ◽

Child Wellbeing ◽

School Based

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"I Gotta Carry The Burden By Myself"

Advances in Social Work ◽

10.18060/23937 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 176-198

Author(s):

Robert H. Keefe ◽

Rebecca Rouland ◽

Sandra D. Lane ◽

Audrey Howard ◽

Carol Brownstein-Evans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Perinatal Depression ◽

New Mothers ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Time To Build ◽

Prevalence Estimates ◽

Mothers Of Color ◽

Low Income Mothers ◽

High Crime ◽

Depth Interviews

Despite prevalence estimates indicating that upwards to 38% of new mothers of color will experience perinatal depression, little research has been published that investigates how they cope with the stressors in their daily lives. This article presents the findings of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 low-income new mothers of color about parenting their children despite the burden of ongoing depression. Narrative analyses revealed three themes: feeling alone, isolated, and overwhelmed; feeling misunderstood, betrayed, and judged by others; and having to carry their burden alone. Despite having depression, the mothers spoke of ways they were able to persevere even with the enormous burden of raising their children while living in high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. Recommendations include the need for social workers to recognize low-income mothers’ inner strengths; recognize why mothers may not trust professionals to be of help; and take the time to build strong therapeutic relationships with mothers who perceive their families, friends, partners, and often social service professionals as being of little help.

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Becoming TED Speakers in School: Student Development Through Participation in TED-Ed Clubs

Journal of Youth Development ◽

10.5195/jyd.2019.775 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 164-177

Author(s):

Melina Furman ◽

Inés Taylor ◽

Ariel Merpert ◽

Tobías Yatche ◽

Mariana Jacobs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Communication Skills ◽

Student Development ◽

Buenos Aires ◽

Development Communication ◽

Self Reflection ◽

School Based ◽

Self Development ◽

Teachers And Parents ◽

Depth Interviews

This case study explores adolescents’ experiences of participating in TED-Ed Clubs in Buenos Aires, Argentina. TED-Ed Clubs is a school-based, extracurricular program in which 12- to 18-year-old youth develop and deliver a “TED-style” talk to their peers, teachers and parents. In particular, we explore changes in participants’ self-development, communication skills and overall school experience. We conducted in-depth interviews with teachers, principals and focus groups of students from 8 representative schools. We find that students struggled considerably to establish what they had to say that was worth sharing with others, and—after a long process of self-reflection—ended up developing talks which were deeply personal in nature. Overcoming the challenge of finding and presenting a topic provided participating adolescents with a sense of accomplishment and pride. In addition, all participants reported changes in relationships with peers and adults, particularly with regards to discovering new sides of themselves and others through listening empathetically. Teachers also reported seeing their students through new lenses as they revealed new sides of themselves which had not been shown in other academic spaces. Overall, we find that the TED-Ed Clubs program appears to create new spaces in schools where adolescents can grow as individuals, and develop their own voice.

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