A phenomenographic study on becoming mother :|conceptions and learning experiences

Abstract

The aim of the study is to reveal and describe women’s different ways of experiencing the phenomenon of becoming mother in two aspects: “the conceptions on becoming mother” and “the reflections on learning experiences regarding becoming mother”. To investigate the variations in these two aspects, phenomenography was used as a qualitative research methodology. Research data of the study were collected through semi-structured and audio-recorded interviews with 20 women who are mothers with various characteristics like age, educational level, working status, and number of children. Regarding conceptions on becoming mother, five categories of description were discovered through the phenomenographic data analysis. Becoming mother is conceived as: a multifaceted process, a life changing experience, a struggle with diverse difficulties, a set of particular personal traits and feelings, and a dynamic interaction with others. On the other hand, women’s reflections on their learning experiences as mothers were presented within three categories of description which are acquisition of parental knowledge and skills, construction of parental knowledge and skills, and transformation of self. Since motherhood is an -across the board- topic where the real subject’s self reports are overlooked in general, it is most of the times spoken about on ‘behalf’ of its subjects. The collective voices of women regarding their mothering experiences, and the effort to present and describe these experiences through their own narratives as much as possible is what makes this study an important one.