Motherhood and Higher Education: Experiences of Student-Mothers at the University for Development Studies, Institute of Distance and Continuing Learning, Sawla Study Centre, Ghana
Rashid Osuman 
, Joseph Yaw Dwamena Quansah & Dacosta Aboagye
Issue: Vol.6 No. 4 April 2025 Article 4 pp.134 -150
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2025641 | Published online 4th April, 2025.
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Student-mothers in distance education programmes must balance traditional domestic roles with their academic pursuits. This study sought to determine the experiences of student mothers in balancing motherhood and higher education at the Institute of Distance and Continuous Learning (ICDL) of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Sawla Study Centre, Ghana. The fundamental theoretical support for this study is grounded in Role Conflict Theory. This study employed a quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey design and guided by the positivist or post-positivist paradigm. A questionnaire was used to collect data from all the 51 student mothers at the IDCL. Descriptive statistics of means and standard deviations were used to analyse the data collected. The study found that student mothers are overwhelmed with various non-academic responsibilities such as cooking, childcare, fetching water, and household chores. The study further indicated that student-mothers who juggle various non-academic activities in their daily lives, while balancing these roles with their academic pursuits, experience negative effects on both their academic performance and family life. The study concludes that student mothers face unavoidable academic obstacles from their non-academic responsibilities. Therefore, the study recommends that IDCL, in collaboration with the Counselling Unit of the university should provide intensive counselling services during freshers’ orientation programmes to make them aware of the academic challenges facing female students who conceive or give birth while pursuing their various programmes at the study centres. This study contributes to scholarship by shedding light on the unique challenges faced by student-mothers in distance education, particularly within the context of the IDCL.
Keywords: Student-mothers, Academic Roles, Non-Academic roles, Family Life, Distance education
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Mr. Rashid Osuman is a Basic School Coordinator at Ghana Education Service Sawla District of Ghana. He is an accomplished educator with a strong background in teaching and administration. Mr. Rashid holds a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Education Winneba, Master of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Education, Winneba-Ghana and a Master of Philosophy (Mphil) in Educational Management and Planning from the University for Development Studies, Tamale-Ghana. His research area focuses on Educational Leadership, Curriculum Planning and Implementation, Human Resource Management, Educational Management, Planning and Administration, Inclusive Education and Educational Policy and Implementation
Dr. Joseph Yaw Dwamena Quansah holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education Management, Law, and Policy from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He is a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Department of Educational Management and Policy Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University for Development Studies, Tamale Campus, Ghana. His research focuses on educational management, administration, leadership, the effective use and management of educational facilities, curriculum development, educational law, and policy. He has published numerous articles in these fields.
Mr. Dacosta Aboagye is a lecturer and the Assistant Registrar in Charge of Academics and Research at the Department of Education, Regentropfen University College. He is an accomplished educator with a strong background in teaching and administration. Mr. Dacosta holds a Bachelor of Education Degree (Business Studies) from the University of Development Studies, and a Master of Philosophy (Mphil) in Educational Management and Planning from the University for Development Studies, Tamale-Ghana. His research area focuses on Educational Management and Planning and Administration, Educational Leadership , Inclusive Education (Access and Participation), Educational Policy and Implementation, and Educational Financial Management.
Osuman, Rashid, Joseph Yaw Dwamena Quansah, and Dacosta Aboagye. “Motherhood and Higher Education: Experiences of Student-Mothers at the University for Development Studies, Institute of Distance and Continuing Learning, Sawla Study Centre, Ghana.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 6, no.4 (2025):134 – 150. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2025641
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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