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Writing to rehearse alternative discourse: Choice and desire in teen pregnancy
Abstract
To discover possible root causes of teen pregnancy and understand why school is often uncomfortable for girls were the goals of this study, which examines questions derived from poststructural theory through case studies of five young women who became mothers during their teens. Three had dropped out of school before, two during, pregnancy; four later earned G.E.D.'s and one a high school diploma. Data were gathered by participant observation and interviews over a three-year period during which the women were enrolled for one or two sessions in a college-based summer program which emphasized development of mutual support and academic confidence among participants. Both the program and the research process, which actively involved the study subjects, urged critical examination of the heterosexual imperative which appears central in young women's lives. Findings of the study include: (1) Study participants perceive self as multiple subjectivities formed through response to people around them, particularly their parents. (2) All participants assumed that their commonly reported sense of isolation, felt particularly in school, had its only solution in finding a man to be constantly present in their lives; the study suggests this desire for "Mr. Right" is constructed by social discourses which regulate choice for women. (3) Alternative discourses which open broader options for women are accessible through learning about other women's lives and through group exploration of relational issues. (4) Personal writing is a particularly effective site for trying out discourse positions which realign relational power dynamics in women's lives. The study suggests that the root cause of teen pregnancy is a sexist agenda designed to keep women isolated from each other and powerless. Implications for the schooling of girls and preventing teen pregnancy include emphasis on classroom community, redefinition of self to acknowledge desire for connection to others, and opportunity to explore relational issues in school through shared personal writing and discussion in a single-sex environment. The study argues a view of self as process and suggests that writing to rehearse new subject positions may play a significant role in the evolution of that process.
Subject Area
Curriculum development|Womens studies|Educational sociology|School counseling|Language arts
Recommended Citation
Jonsberg, Sara Dalmas, "Writing to rehearse alternative discourse: Choice and desire in teen pregnancy" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9305845.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9305845