‘The accommodation I make is turning a blind eye’: faculty support for student mothers in higher education

ABSTRACT

The levels of support which faculty provide to students have been linked to a number of positive effects on students such as lower rates of attrition, greater satisfaction with college life, enhanced self-concept, improved academic performance and more likelihood of remaining enrolled in college through stressful life periods. There are surely fewer periods of life that are busier than new motherhood. This paper presents research carried out at a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates. We look at the ways in which faculty interact with new student mothers and employ interviews to explore ways in which faculty acknowledge and offer academic and pastoral support to the new mothers. Their perceptions of students’ coping strategies when they combine motherhood and college studies are reported, and the ways in which faculty navigate college policy which relates to the student mothers. Faculty saw themselves as being extremely supportive and flexible towards new mothers. Whilst undergraduate student motherhood was uncommon in their home countries, it was generally felt that the increased organization, efficiency, time management and resilience witnessed in student mothers were assets to the college community. This study also has wider applicability to faculty support of non-traditional students in other settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Students
• mothers
• undergraduate
• faculty
• support
• United Arab Emirates

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the faculty who gave up their time to participate in this study and gave valuable responses in the interviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Martina Dickson is an Associate Professor at Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She has held a variety of teaching and advisory positions in Greece, Oman, Hong Kong and the UAE. Her research interests and recent publications include gender and development in education and educational reform. She holds a MA in Gender, Education and International Development from the Institute of Education in London.

Dr Lilly Tennant holds a PhD in Special Education, University of Arizona, USA, worked as an Associate Professor at the Emirates College for Advanced Education in Abu Dhabi, and her expertise is in teacher education. Areas of published scholarship, presentations, and funded research include issues in special education, higher education, preservice teacher issues, inclusion, and novice teacher development.

Notes

1 Personal communication with Registry Offices at the four main federal institutions in the UAE.