| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to understand the factors affecting the decision-making for school re-entry by teenage mothers. The study sought to explore the social factors that affect the decision making for school re-entry by teenage mothers, to understand the nature of support given to teenage mothers in making decisions for school re-entry and to understand the economic factors that affect decision making for school re-entry by teenage mothers.
I employed a purely qualitative approach using a purposive sampling strategy. The study participants were teenage mothers. A total of 15 teenage mothers took part in the study. I also interviewed a total of two local leaders and three caregivers of teenage mothers as key informants. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with teenage mothers; focus group discussion with some of the teenage mothers who were not interviewed in the in-depth interviews, key informant interviews with local council chairperson and caregivers of the teenage mothers. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis method.
In interviews and focus group discussions, participants mentioned several factors that affect decision making for school re-entry. During interviews, girls who participated in the study mentioned that stress, social status, and financial pressure, physical discomfort and embarrassment unhappiness during pregnancy and rejection by school administrators were some of the factors that affect decision making for school re-entry. Counseling and emotional support provided by caregivers were some of the various forms of support received by teenage mothers in school re-entry decision making. Teenage mothers used spirituality working as domestic servants as well as perseverance and endurance were some of the coping mechanisms used by teenage mothers in school re-entry decision making.
There is need to organize sensitization campaigns on the need to safeguard young girls from risky sexual behaviours should be undertaken by different stakeholders including parents in order to prevent unnecessary increase in teenage pregnancy | en_US |
