CLASSIFYING FEMINIST RESEARCH - EXPLORING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OFSOCIAL-CLASS ON MOTHERS INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDRENS SCHOOLING

Drawing on a research study exploring mothers' involvement in their ch ildren's primary schooling this article attempts to bring together two superficially unconnected areas of research;feminist work on motherin g and theorizing on social class. When experience of being working or middle class is explored psychologically the psychology of social clas s emerges as something that permeates women's experience of their chil dren's schooling. In particular, a wine range of emotions, emotions, b oth positive and negative, infuse mothers' activities. While there are important commonalities in mothers' emotional responses to children's education, the psychological impact of being working or middle class translates into a very different emotional relationship to children's schooling for the mothers in this study.