‘Every Girl was Different’: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Staff Experiences Supporting Pregnant Teenagers and Young Mothers

Norris, Lily Josephine (2026) ‘Every Girl was Different’: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Staff Experiences Supporting Pregnant Teenagers and Young Mothers. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the topic of teenage pregnancy, early motherhood and education in England, and comprises of three distinct chapters: a literature review chapter; an empirical paper; and a reflective account on the research process. Although each chapter is distinct, they are still closely linked and each build upon and inform each other.

The first chapter presents a narrative literature review on teenage pregnancy, early motherhood, and education in England. This chapter begins by outlining the methodology used to complete the literature review. Then, this chapter considers the psychological theories and frameworks that are useful for synthesising and interpreting the literature on teenage pregnancy and education. Following this, this chapter examines the national context surrounding teenage pregnancy in England and discusses the factors typically associated with teenage pregnancy. Finally, this chapter culminates by reviewing studies that explore the educational experiences of pregnant teenagers and young mothers.

The second chapter consists of an empirical paper, which presents a qualitative study that investigates the topic of teenage pregnancy, early motherhood and education from the perspective of secondary and further education staff. This chapter begins by providing a more focused summary of the literature discussed in the first chapter to establish the rationale for the study. After outlining the rationale, the study's methodology and findings are discussed. In summary, seven semistructured interviews were conducted with secondary and further education staff who all had experience supporting pregnant teenagers and young mothers in their professional roles. The data generated from these interviews were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) Reflexive Thematic Analysis to address three distinct research questions. The chapter culminates by highlighting the study’s distinctive contributions to the literature, implications for practice and directions for future research.

The third and final chapter comprises of a personally reflective and reflexive account of the research process. In this chapter, I reflect in chronological order on the key steps and decisions I made whilst designing and conducting this research project. At the end of this chapter, I set out my plans for disseminating the study’s findings.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Amy Millward-Doherty
Date Deposited:	25 Sep 2026 15:05
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2026 15:05
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104647
DOI:

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