Browsing by Author "Mauki, Chris Mungubariki"

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Coping with dual roles: a case of adolescent student mothers in Tanzania’s secondary schools
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024) Mwakililo, Pendo Samson; Mauki, Chris Mungubariki; Lyakurwa, Suitbert Emil
Purpose – This paper aims to examine adolescent student mothers in Tanzania’s secondary schools’ unique coping strategies. It intends to explore strategies adolescent student mothers use in coping with the challenges of managing motherhood concurrent with schooling in the context of Tanzania’s secondary schools. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a qualitative single-case study design, involving 35 adolescent student mothers and 5 class teachers selected through purposive sampling. Data collection methods included focus group discussions for adolescent student mothers and semi-structured interviews for class teachers, facilitating insights into their coping strategies, and the contextual factors guiding their choices of certain coping strategies. Thematic analysis ensured systematic analysis of the data. Findings – The findings indicate that adolescent student mothers use coping strategies like relying on interpersonal support systems, skipping schooling for some days, bringing with them their children to school, getting into convenience marriages, involving in income-generating ventures, ignoring and relying on faith and spiritual support. Research limitations/implications – This research will be beneficial to adolescent student mothers, parents and schools and will add a contribution to this field. However, the coping strategies identified were limited to a small sample from a selected region and schools, hence cannot be used for generalization to a larger population. Practical implications – This research will assist policymakers in evaluating and reassessing the re-admission policy to create more conducive environments that suit adolescent student mothers’ situations. This will create a supportive environment that fosters the well-being of adolescent student mothers and their children. Social implications – The findings of this paper will be useful in understanding the coping strategies employed by student mothers and how educational modifications can be implemented to suit adolescent student mothers’ situations. Originality/value – The research was conducted after introducing the re-admission circular to primary and secondary schools in Tanzania, and the findings derived from it are original.
Responsibilities and challenges of student mothers in Tanzania's secondary schools
(University of Dar es Salaam, 2025) Mwakililo, Pendo Samson; Mauki, Chris Mungubariki; Lyakurwa, Suitbert Emil
Adolescent motherhood poses significant challenges, especially for student mothers who must juggle parenting and education, unlike their peers who either attend school without children or parent without engaging in education. This paper explores the responsibilities and challenges faced by adolescent student mothers in secondary schools in Tanzania. An embedded single case study approach was employed, focusing on student mothers as the primary case and five secondary schools as units of analysis. Data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires and focus group discussions and analysed thematically. Insights from 20 purposively chosen student mothers indicated that they manage numerous responsibilities both inside and outside the school setting. These responsibilities include academic, parental, entrepreneurial, and marital duties (especially within convenience marriages). The overlap of these roles led to role conflict, frequent absenteeism, diminished focus in class, discrimination, and stigmatisation, all of which collectively obstructed their academic achievements. The study underscores the pressing need for targeted interventions from education stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and policymakers, to cultivate a supportive environment. The study concludes that support should include financial aid and comprehensive guidance and counselling services to improve the educational experiences of student mothers.