Mothers' Perceptions of Academic Summer Vacation: a Sociological

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Mothers' Perceptions of Academic Summer Vacation: a Sociological The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Education MOTHERS’ PERCEPTION AND PRACTICE IN THEIR CHILDS’ OUT OF SCHOOL [SUMMER] TIME: A SOCIOECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE A Dissertation in Educational Theory and Policy by Marcy B. Milhomme © 2014 Marcy B. Milhomme Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2014 The dissertation of Marcy B. Milhomme was reviewed and approved* by the following: Dana Mitra Associate Professor of Education Dissertation Adviser Chair of Committee Gerald K. LeTendre Head of the Department of Education Policy Studies Professor of Education and International Affairs Katerina Bodovski Associate Professor of Educational Theory and Policy Stephanie Serriere Assistant Professor of Education *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii Abstract I set out to explore the question: How do middle-class, working-class and low- income mothers experience their children’s out of school summer time? Using qualitative basic interpretive approach, study findings draw from interview data, journal entries and participant observations from a study completed with 22 mothers of varying socioeconomic statuses whose children underwent a 10 to 12 week summer vacation. Study participants had at least one child in K-6th grade during the study. All participants resided in one of three communities. Each community was selected because of contrasting makeups in terms of resident levels of education, poverty concentrations, economic prosperity and employment opportunities. I used Lareau’s (2003; 2011) theories related to a cultural logic of childrearing and I asked three guiding questions. First, what are mothers’ perceptions of summer related to learning regression? How do education stakeholders prepare families? How did preparation affect childrearing strategies? I find that the fissure between the school and the home begins even prior to the close of the school year. This anticipation for summer months creates anxieties for mothers who aspire to provide their children with productive out of school experiences, but find them unattainable due to life constraints. I also find that though mothers have intentions for keeping up with school-like activities, these goals are rarely realized. I also asked, how do mothers of varying SES characterize the purpose of their child’s summer vacation; and where does summer vacation “fit” into family life? Regardless of social class, I find that mothers appropriate their own memories from their own histories with summer vacations. Middle-class mothers go to great lengths to construct summer plans for their children, but these efforts are often rebuffed as children use their own sense of agency and “child capital” (Chin and Phillips, 2004) in establishing their own schedules and summer routines. Finally, I asked how can Lareau’s cultural logic of childrearing explain social class reproduction cycles? My findings were not entirely consistent with Lareau’s theory of concerted cultivation and accomplishment of natural growth. As a result, I propose a reconceptualization of child-rearing practices during the summer called leveraged exploration and contingent exploration. These theories introduce new dimensions for understanding the replication of social class differences. iii Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the problem ............................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ......................................................................................................................... 3 Organization of the study ............................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Background and Literature Review ........................................................................ 11 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 11 Historical Overview of Summer Vacation: Early Patterns of Social Inequity ...................... 13 Out of School Time & Summer Learning Loss ........................................................................ 23 Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 3: Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 33 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 33 Organization of Daily Life: Leisure Time and Social Connections ....................................... 40 Interventions at Institutions ......................................................................................................... 47 Language use at home ................................................................................................................... 47 Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter 4: Methods ............................................................................................................................. 50 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 50 Participant Selection ...................................................................................................................... 52 Data Collection .............................................................................................................................. 59 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 62 Validity ............................................................................................................................................ 65 Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 5: The Intersection of School and Summer Vacation ............................................ 70 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 70 School Year to Summer Limbo: Distancing School and Home Life Gradually .................. 72 Schedules, Reward Charts and “Bucket” Lists: Middle-class Mothers’ Strategies for Out of School Summertime ...................................................................................................................... 86 Warding off Summer Learning Loss: Best Intentions Outdone ............................................ 94 iv Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 107 Chapter 6: The Purposes and Meanings Mothers Ascribe to Summer Vacation ....... 110 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 110 A Common Philosophy of Summertime Childrearing .......................................................... 116 “Generational Echoes” of Summer: A Reconciliation of Mothers’ Childhoods with their Child’s Childhood ........................................................................................................................ 121 “Chalk Town” and “Three Points of Contact”: Mothers’ Perceptions of Life Skills and Outside of School Growth ......................................................................................................... 129 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 144 Chapter 7: Summer Childrearing in Practice .......................................................................... 147 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 147 Lareau’s Observed Key Dimensions ........................................................................................ 149 Contingent and Leveraged Exploration ................................................................................... 181 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 190 Chapter 8: Discussion and Conclusion ....................................................................................... 195 Summary of Key Findings .........................................................................................................
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