The educational needs of mothers of children aged 60 to 72 months: The socio-economic differences

Abstract

This study aims to identify the educational needs of mothers of children aged 60 to 72 months. It also intended to understand if there are any differences between mothers coming from different socio-economic background, which in this study, is the high socio-economic status mothers and low socio-economic status mothers. To accomplish this, a qualitative study with 33 in depth interviews was carried out in one public and one private school. A semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was applied to the mothers to understand their educational needs about parenting. The results of the study demonstrate that, although some significant differences were observed in terms of the educational needs of mothers, there are also some common issues. Differences in the demographic and family characteristics such as the schools they send their children to, their educational level and socioeconomic status was helpful in understanding the results. In any case, no matter how similar or different the results of the two groups were, it can be stated that the results of the study helped understanding the educational needs of mothers of children aged 60 to 72 months. It is assumed that, the data collected in this study can be useful in revisiting existing parent education programs for caregivers of children at an early age. In spite of the limitations of the study, it will make certain contributions to the field, especially in reviewing existing parent education programs for mothers.