Incarcerated Mothers in Cuenca, Ecuador: Perceptions of Their
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INCARCERATED MOTHERS IN CUENCA, ECUADOR: PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND THE IMPACT IT HAS ON THE LIVES OF THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR EDUCATION Rachel L. McBride, B.S., M.S. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2008 APPROVED: Patsy J. Robles-Goodwin, Major Professor Sue Bratton, Minor Professor David Brown, Committee Member Rebecca J. Glover, Committee Member Lin Moore, Committee Member George Morrison, Committee Member Leslie Patterson, Chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Administration M. Jean Keller, Dean of the College of Education Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies McBride, Rachel L., Incarcerated mothers in Cuenca, Ecuador: Perceptions of their environment and the impact it has on the lives of their young children and their education. Doctor of Education (Early Childhood Education), May 2008, 377 pp., references. 108 titles. The number of children whose mothers are incarcerated is increasing around the world. Educators of young children are faced with new challenges in their classrooms as they work with these children during their formative years for social-emotional development. The purpose of this qualitative study was to interview the mothers, in order to gain their perspective on how they feel their incarceration has affected their relationship with their children; how they believed it would affect their children in the future, and to investigate the perceptions of early childhood teachers who worked with children of incarcerated mothers. Using interviews, observations, journal, and field notes the researcher collected information from 3 incarcerated mothers, 3 of their children, and the 2 teachers who worked with these children. Overall findings were that the mother-child relationships are of extreme importance to the mothers. They have high hopes for a better life for their child, which includes concerns about their education. Mothers had fears that their incarceration would repeat itself in their children and desired for things to be different in their children’s futures. They reported their incarceration affecting their children in negative ways. Their children had difficulty depicting their mothers in their drawings. Lastly, the teachers highly encouraged parental involvement, even though the mother was incarcerated. They expressed the importance of the mother-child relationship impacting the child’s ability to learn, and teachers believed special training and preparation are necessary for working with these children. Copyright 2008 By Rachel L. McBride ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To the members of my committee, Dr. Sue Bratton, Dr. David Brown, Dr. Rebecca Glover, Dr. Lin Moore, Dr. George Morrison, and especially Dr. Patsy Robles-Goodwin, I would like to say thank you for making this accomplishment possible. Thank you for sharing with me your support, knowledge, and encouragement. I believe and know teachers make a difference and you have all made a significant difference in my life. To my family, I would like to say thank you for cheering me on to the finish line. Thank you for being my support and for teaching me to love. Mom, I dedicate this work to you and to all of the mothers of Ecuador who daily are teaching their children. You are strong and faithful women. To the directors who granted me permission to enter their institutions, I would like to say thank you for their willingness to allow this study to take place. To the mothers, teachers, and children, words do not seem enough to say thank you for sharing your stories and the reality of your lives. To my friends, I would like to say thank your for your support and continuous encouragement. I especially want to thank God for blessing my life and providing for me the opportunity to grow in knowledge and everything along the way. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii CHAPTER I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.......................................................................1 Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children....................................................1 The Problem.................................................................................................6 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................7 Research Questions......................................................................................8 Working Definitions ....................................................................................9 Delimitations..............................................................................................10 Rationale for the Present Study..................................................................11 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................................13 Introduction................................................................................................13 Theoretical Perspective..............................................................................14 Parent Involvement ....................................................................................19 Mother-Child Relationship and Incarceration ...........................................21 Early Childhood Education and Children with Incarcerated Parents ........38 Ecuador ......................................................................................................38 Rationale for Study ....................................................................................47 Research Question .....................................................................................50 III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................51 Participants.................................................................................................51 Protection of Human Subjects ...................................................................51 Measures ....................................................................................................52 Procedures..................................................................................................54 Data Analysis.............................................................................................59 IV. RESULTS ..............................................................................................................61 Description of Sites....................................................................................61 Case Studies...............................................................................................79 iv V. DISCUSSION......................................................................................................129 Mothers ....................................................................................................130 Teachers ...................................................................................................135 Children....................................................................................................139 Discussion of Findings.............................................................................140 Implication of Findings............................................................................143 Policy Implications ..................................................................................146 Limitations ...............................................................................................147 Recommendations for Future Studies......................................................149 Conclusion ...............................................................................................149 Appendices A. COUNTRIES FORMING THE UNITED CONVENTION OF RIGHTS ..........151 B. CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE (English and Spanish)......................................158 C. UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS ....................................................................177 D. MAPS OF THE SITES ........................................................................................203 E. UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS TRANSCRIBED .......................................208 F. CHILD DRAWINGS...........................................................................................362 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................367 v CHAPTER I STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children Early Childhood Education The early years of children’s lives are considered critical in laying the foundation for their later development and education (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997; Erikson, 1950; Katz 2003a; Katz 2003 b; Katz & Chard, 2000; Montessori, 1967; Piaget, 1971; Dewey, 1938; Vygotsky, 1978). The environment and the culture are believed to shape the child’s education and later development during the critical years from birth until 8 years of age (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Vygotsky, 1978). Researchers have looked at the importance of the critical years in a child’s life and the role that culture and environment play in the shaping of education and development. However, few studies have examined young children’s experiences while their mothers are incarcerated. What happens if the young children are allowed to live with their mothers in prison during these critical and formative years? Several studies have been conducted