BECOMING A BETTER PARENT - MOTHERHOOD, EDUCATION AND TRANSITION

The focus of this paper is a parent education group, offering parents an accredited practical skills course, which aims to familiarise them with educational activities suitable for young children. Drawing on th eories from Gramsci and set within a context informed by social policy analysis, this paper examines both the content of the course and the experiences of the female students. It looks in detail at the discours e of 'sensitive mothering' and considers the extent to which the cours e promotes adherence to such an approach. This paper also considers th e relationships between teachers and taught, and hero these are mediat ed by social class differences. The women's positive accounts are seen as vital in constructing an understanding of the course and its succe sses, possibilities and limitations.