Re-storying identities: Young women's narratives of teenage parenthood and educational support

8 Chapter One: Introducing Mandy, the research question, and the structure of the thesis . 10 Mandy’s story . 10 The historical context of my study . 12 My research question . 12 The organisation of my thesis . 16 Chapter Two: A review of the discursive contexts of teenage parenthood and some educational responses . 22 Part One:. 25 What the research literature says about teenage parents . 25 I: Characteristics and outcomes of teenage parenthood . 25 II: The construction of the ‘problem’ of teenage parenthood . 28 III: Implications of negative constructions of teenage parenthood . 34 Part Two: . 38 Education initiatives to support teenage parents . 38 I: Initiatives in Britain . 38 II: Initiatives in the United States . 39 III: Studies of successful North American education programmes for teenage parents . 41 Part Three: . 46 The New Zealand context . 46 I: Teen Parent Units . 46 II: New Zealand research on Teen Parent Units and their students . 48 III: The School for Teenage Parents in my study . 55 Chapter Three: Theoretical framing of the study: A “universe of discourse” . 63 I: My theoretical ‘whakapapa’ or genealogy . 63 II: Epistemologies underpinning the work of the Teen Parent School . 65 III: Theoretical framing of this study . 68 Social Constructionism . 71 Biographical and human development theories of identity . 76 Culturally-responsive pedagogical theories . 80 Māori culturally responsive pedagogical theories . 81 Chapter Four: Narrative methodology, research design and the analysis of data . 86 I: What did I want to investigate? 86 II: Qualitative approaches . 87 III: The research design . 94 IV: Ethical considerations . 104 V: Analysis of data . 109 VI: Issues of trustworthiness, rigour and validity . 118 Foreword to Chapters Five to Seven: “Tell me your story” . 119 Chapter Five: The narrative framing of childand teenage-hood . 120 Part One: Formative stories of childhood, schooling, and being a teenager . 122 I: Childhood and family life . 122 Six little girls at home . 122 Andy’s story . 124 II: Schooling . 131 Six little girls at school . 131 Kate’s story . 134 III: Drugs and alcohol . 138 Six girls ‘at play’ . 138 Tatiana’s story . 140 Part Two: Pregnancy and parenthood as a turning point in the fashioning of identities . 149 I: Familial, personal and social responses to the young women’s pregnancies . 150 II: Pregnancy within the context of hopes and aspirations . 155 III: Pregnancy and parenthood as a turning-point in the fashioning of identities . 157 Chapter Six: The role of the School for Teenage Parents in the refashioning of students’ identities . 163 Part One: School ‘reports’ . 167 Reasons for enrolling at Pumanawa Young Parents College . 167 Andy’s story of Pumanawa College . 169 Kate’s story of Pumanawa College . 174 Tatiana’s story of Pumanawa College . 180 Conclusion . 186 Part Two: Kaupapa whānau: The College and Early Childhood Centre as family . 189 I: Ako: Culturally responsive teaching and learning relationships . 191 Whānaungatanga . 191 Commitment to academic success . 194 Understanding of individual learning needs . 197 Being treated like an adult . 199 II: The whānau support of the Early Childhood Centre . 201 The benefits of having the children on-site . 202 Whanāungatanga . 203 Programme structures that supported parenting . 205 III: Relationships with the other young women at the College . 206 IV: Holistic support for the young women as parents, learners and young people . 209 The role of Support Workers . 209 The provision of transport . 211 The provision of food . 212 V: Academic achievements at the College . 213 VI: Pumanawa College as a site of transformation of identities . 218 Chapter Seven: Negotiating the ‘real world’: Young women’s storied identities within the contexts of their ‘present’ lives .