CHALLENGES AND ADJUSTMENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER-MOTHERS MANAGING YOUNG CHILDREN WHILE WORKING FROM HOME
Keywords:
Teacher-mothers, mother-educators, pandemic mothers, online teachers, online teaching, work from home
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic brought great changes to teaching practices, particularly for secondary school teacher-mothers balancing online instruction and childcare. This study explores the lived experiences of teacher-mothers in the Philippines during the pandemic, denoting the challenges of managing their dual roles. The central focus is on how these women coped with the tension between professional duties and motherhood, especially when both roles demand attention simultaneously. Using narrative analysis of interviews with 16 teacher-mothers of young children, the research identifies four key themes: professional and parental challenges, coping strategies, personal well-being, and the need for support. These themes reveal the complexity of their experiences, including the emotional and logistical strain of fulfilling both roles during a crisis. The study’s findings suggest that policymakers and educational institutions must prioritize the well-being of teacher-mothers by implementing supportive measures such as reasonable work arrangements and access to childcare. While limited to one Philippine province, this research offers critical insights into the unique pressures faced by teacher-mothers and notes the importance of addressing their needs for a more equitable educational system. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of the pandemic on teacher-mothers and evaluate the effectiveness of support systems introduced during this time.
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[2] W. Kidd and J. Murray, “Educators’ perspectives of online teaching during the pandemic: implications for initial teacher education,” Journal of Education for Teaching, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 393–406, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2022.2082273
[3] M. A. Hermann, J. Gorlewski, D. Brookover, R. Walsh, L. Kozachuk, M. Deitz, and E. Ciminelli, “Policy, practice, and parenthood: a study of teacher mothers,” Educational Studies, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 35–53, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2020.1834358
[4] C. E. Jones, “A study in leadership practices that cultivate elementary school teachers' well-being during a global pandemic,” 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/113690
[5] L. E. Robinson, A. Valido, A. Drescher, A. B. Woolweaver, D. L. Espelage, S. LoMurray, and M. M. Dailey, “Teachers, stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative analysis,” School Mental Health, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 78–89, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09533-2
[6] K. Turner and S. Garvis, “Teacher educator wellbeing, stress and burnout: a scoping review,” Education Sciences, vol. 13, no. 4, p. 351, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040351
[7] M. R. Kern, E. L. Duinhof, S. D. Walsh, A. Cosma, C. Moreno-Maldonado, M. Molcho, and G. W. Stevens, “Intersectionality and adolescent mental well-being: a cross-nationally comparative analysis of the interplay between immigration background, socioeconomic status and gender,” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 66, no. 6, pp. S12–S20, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013
[8] A. Joe and N. Mtsi, “Impact of teacher workload on academic excellence and learners’ metacognition: a case study of two high schools in Chris Hani District,” 2024. https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/89353
[9] S. L. Oderinde, O. Y. Akintunde, and I. R. Ajala, “A critical analysis of the impact of work overload on lecturers' well-being: a case of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria,” International Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 238–249, 2024. https://doi.org/10.47540/ijqr.v3i3.1256
[10] C. K. Riessman, Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Sage, 2008.
[11] K. A. Neuendorf, “Content analysis and thematic analysis,” in Advanced Research Methods for Applied Psychology, Routledge, 2018, pp. 211–223.
[12] M. Carcary, “The research audit trail: methodological guidance for application in practice,” Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 166–177, 2020. https://doi.org/10.34190/JBRM.18.2.008
[13] K. Leighton, S. Kardong-Edgren, T. Schneidereith, and C. Foisy-Doll, “Using social media and snowball sampling as an alternative recruitment strategy for research,” Clinical Simulation in Nursing, vol. 55, pp. 37–42, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.03.006
[14] H. Vikas, A. Kini, N. Sharma, N. R. Gowda, and A. Gupta, “How informed is the informed consent?,” Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 2299–2303, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2393_20
[15] V. Braun and V. Clarke, “Thematic analysis,” American Psychological Association, 2012.
[16] J. Woodhouse, “Experiences of student-teacher mothers before and during COVID-19: lessons in flexibility,” in Teachers and Teaching Post-COVID, Routledge, 2023, pp. 43–63.
[17] E. Bouchard, Teaching in Tension: Teacher-Mothers, Work-Life Alignment, and a Falsely Feminised Profession, 2023. https://hdl.handle.net/10292/16305
[18] E. Atteh, G. Martin, A. T. Oduro, F. A. Mensah, and R. Gyamfi, “An overview on influence of work-family life conflict among female teachers and their job satisfaction in schools,” Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 48–58, 2020. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2020/v9i230245
[19] M. Kang, H. J. Park, and J. Park, “Teachers as good mothers, mothers as good teachers: functional and ideological work–family alignment in the South Korean teaching profession,” Gender, Work & Organization, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 395–413, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12396
[20] J. Howell, “Bringing home la Leche: expanding teachers’ maternal roles in rural Oaxaca,” Feminist Anthropology, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 44–59, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/fea2.12063
[21] S. B. K. Kara, D. Z. Günes, and B. S. Tüysüzer, “Work-family conflict during working from home due to pandemic: a qualitative research on female teachers,” International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 251–273, 2021. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1285876
[22] P. Barck-Holst, Å. Nilsonne, T. Åkerstedt, and C. Hellgren, “Reduced working hours and work-life balance,” Nordic Social Work Research, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 450–463, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/2156857X.2020.1839784
[23] R. A. Işık and Y. Kaya, “The relationships among perceived stress, conflict resolution styles, spousal support and marital satisfaction during the COVID-19 quarantine,” Current Psychology, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 3328–3338, 2022. https://acikerisim.aksaray.edu.tr/dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02737-4
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[25] L. Corr, E. Davis, K. Cook, E. Waters, and A. D. LaMontagne, “Fair relationships and policies to support family day care educators’ mental health: a qualitative study,” BMC Public Health, vol. 14, p. 1, 2014. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2458-14-1214
[26] B. K. Puleo, “The ‘third shift:’ a qualitative investigation of the experiences of working mothers in academia during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ph.D. dissertation, Arizona State University, 2024. https://www.proquest.com/openview/a80c574b7de9350de66d6984cbe4b359/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
[27] M. Bektaş, “A qualitative study on family-work and work-family conflicts experienced by academic mothers during the Covid-19 pandemic,” İktisadi İdari ve Siyasal Araştırmalar Dergisi (İKTİSAD), vol. 7, no. 19, pp. 662–677, 2022. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1086889
[28] D. De Arment-Donohue, “’Unreasonable’ bodies: thinking beyond accommodation in workplace lactation law and policy,” Technical Communication, vol. 71, no. 1, pp. 37–50, 2024. https://doi.org/10.55177/tc884289
Published
2024-10-31
How to Cite
RiveraK. (2024). CHALLENGES AND ADJUSTMENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER-MOTHERS MANAGING YOUNG CHILDREN WHILE WORKING FROM HOME. Journal of Education and Culture (JEaC), 4(2), 103-118. https://doi.org/10.47918/jeac.v4i2.1846
Section
Articles
