Time, Third Space, and Counternarratives of Achievement for Young Mothers in High School

Abstract

This article shares alternative conceptions of time in a qualitative study about the schooling experiences of teenage mothers. The counternarratives of three women of color are presented as alternatives for understanding temporally restricted discourses of achievement in high school. Using third space theory as a lens for understanding the participants' experiences, this article illustrates how each participant's school story creates room for thinking about school success differently. This understanding of participants' experiences provokes a deliberate reconsideration of time as it relates to student success and achievement in school. This article concludes with an analysis of the participants' counternarratives and implications for future work. This work is useful for practitioners and researchers in reconceptualizing difference among students and in creating room for school structures that support diversity in classrooms and schools.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I gratefully acknowledge the thoughtful and constructive comments provided by the anonymous reviewers.

Notes

1. In describing race and ethnicity, I use the terms the participants used to describe themselves.

2. A pseudonym, as are all related names in this article.