Attribute of Educational Welfare Services for Young-Single Mothers in Thai Society

Abstract

The study titled “Attribute of educational welfare services for young-single mothers in Thai society” aims to study problems, needs, and qualities of educational welfare services suitable for single mothers who are adolescent. Data in this qualitative research are collected by using focus group dialogue, case interview and brainstorming. Purposive samples in focus group dialogue comprises nine single mothers and one from focus group dialogue has been voluntarily interviewed individually. Participants in brainstorming are those who work in education, health and religious agencies as well as those who work with family and child welfare services and policy etc. Content analysis is used to analyze data and results will be descriptive presented.
Findings reveals that young-single mothers are 16-26 years old, each has 1 or 2 children who are preschoolers. Problems and unhealthy phenomena of young-single mothers are different from the beginning through each period of family life cycle. However, education is important for the young-single mothers and for their own children. A variety of assistance come from women strength for example mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters. Families are responsible for several problem-resolution. Problems relating young- single mother is private sphere. Attribute of educational welfare services comprise supplementary programs and supportive programs. The existing educational welfare services have limitations due to the myth of goal of education and patriarchy in Thai society. Suggestions from this study are (1) attribute of educational welfare services should be flexible and provide for both young-single mothers and their children as families. The provision of education welfare services for young-single mother should be varied due to the principle of each family and there should have social works in education in Thai society for not only young-single mothers but vulnerable students also. The goal of students in education need educational welfare services so that should be public concern and should have learning space to understand the dynamic of students and their families.