Marco Normativo de los incentivos

4.5.1. Susan’s Context

Susan was aged 34 at the time of the research, described her ethnicity as White British, and was living with her partner, son (not the son of this partner) and their dogs, in their family home. Susan has been with her partner for approximately six years, having been married before and then divorced. Her son was aged 14 at the time of the research. She was in her final semester of her second year of studies. Her previous careers included retail and working as a teaching assistant at a local school, and her goal was to become a teacher.

Susan was the first in her family to attend university but felt it important that it might also encourage her son to think about going to college or university. She was one of two mature students in her cohort, Susan being marginally the elder of those two. She had assumed the role of matriarch in their cohort, developing strategies within the group to ensure individuals were “getting on” and “cheering them up” or “chivvying them along.” Susan would describe her personality as bubbly, confident, and friendly, although she can be attention-seeking, she is warm hearted, helpful and had a sense of humour.

4.5.2. Susan’s Drawing and Description

“So… I separated them, but they are next to each other to show they affect each other. I put priorities at the top because that’s how I see everything, in terms of priorities... The sides flip over, they are dependent on each other… yes (nodding). This all has an effect on this (pointing to the home side of the page, and hand moving to Uni side). It is mostly home on Uni, cos of my priorities. They can be the other way round if I am under a lot of time constraints, obviously, trying to share my time and things, but not fully. This is me in the middle, obviously it’s split between the university and home; and obviously, the main thing is your priorities, they are the pulls. There are always pulls and priorities and trying to get them right, these are the priorities and there is always priorities (Pointing to images on home side of the page). Obviously at home my priorities are, my family, my home etc. and this is whether at the time this is the weight they are putting on you; whether it’s heavy or it’s light, obviously affects how you can be.” (Pg1)

4.5.3. Susan’s Particular Experience; Outside HE Context Priorities, Role, and Responsibilities

Susan’s Drawing illustrates herself, son, partner and their dog outside their house, towards the top of the page inferring their priority alongside her cohort on the Uni

side. She also illustrated their link to time constraints and priorities using a clock, weights and chain.

“This is me in the middle, obviously it’s split between the university and home; and obviously the main thing is your priorities, there the mains things, they are the pulls. There are always pulls and priorities and trying to get them right, and these are the priorities and there always priorities… And this is me at home trying to study and this is them with a lasso and saying ‘Oh you’re home, you can come and do this’… but obviously, you just don’t get the time cos they think she is here so she doesn’t have to do anything. Not that I have a pile of books with me, no (laughs).” (Pg1)

Susan illustrates how her role as a parent, and responsibility to prioritise her son above all else, influenced the contexts of her everyday life. This illustrates her level of independence and organisation but simultaneously identifying that she felt her son belonged to her and shaped her identity and purpose. While denying her partner’s responsibility for her son, as a significant adult. Moreover, her role as a single parent was clearly central to her identity and wellbeing as suggested Forste and Jacobsen (2013). Susan saw her role as a student as less of a priority than caring for her son; despite him also being a sense of motivation. Susan may have developed this perspective and personality traits, given her previous experiences and as a result of having lone responsibility for her son. Susan seemingly reiterates Forste and Jacobsen’s (2013) conclusion that single parent roles and responsibilities were

negative factors affecting student wellbeing within HE. Susan's son as a driver for her studies also illustrated the intricacies of the different roles and the fluidity of

4.5.3.1. Personality, Identity, Self and Coping

Susan’s Drawing

Susan is in the center of the two contexts, Uni and Home and there is a jagged line between the two, illustrating the two contexts pulling and pushing.

“I am very much one person, just through life so on. So, he is my number one priority and I would rather fail at university and lose everything to make sure his future is going okay.” (Pg18)

And

…I think it comes down to personality, how I run my life, and so on, it’s how it comes, as a priority.” (Pg20)

Susan links her personality and sense of self to her independence and priorities and how well she manages these. Susan clearly linked her personality, outlook, self- confidence, sense of control, power and sense of self, to her own personality and how she built her lifeworld and wellbeing. Susan’s level of confidence and self-awareness might be because of her age, gender or life experiences. Moreover, the role of being a parent with responsibility for another and her role as a long-term partner may have shaped her perspective of her roles and responsibilities, underpinning her sense of identity, importance, power and efficacy, reinforcing her roles and responsibilities.

Susan also recognised the role of others and their behaviours, needs and personalities as influential upon her own, influencing her ability to be positive and how she felt, including her ability to cope and manage her priorities, including her studies. Susan also illustrated the role of her own and others’ emotions, time, the weather and place throughout her materials.

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including him, her son and friends.

Susan’s Drawing illustrates the role of herself and her emotions using metaphor emoji’s, faces and symbolism to depict herself and personality traits at particular points of influence. She also annotates “positivity or lack of it” as linked to the relationship between herself and her partner and how she copes with others,

In her interview she highlights

“Positivity… is important, or lack of it… so what’s going on at home; if it’s all sunshine and roses you’re okay, but if its arguments and stress it’s going to affect everything… But even if you are having stress with friends or things like that, it affects you, so your outlook on everything has a knock-on effect, with you. (Pg2) These findings link the role of her positivity, personality and outlook to Susan’s lifeworld and wellbeing.

4.5.3.2. People and Relationships

Susan continued to link people and relationships as key to her wellbeing within her experience including her

4.5.3.2.1. Partner and Child

Susan illustrated the importance of her relationships with her son and partner and her own wellbeing.

4.5.3.2.2. Friends, Peers and Cohort

Susan’s Drawing illustrates the balancing of relationships between herself, her friends and cohort.

Susan reiterates her role as a friend in her interview “(Pointing to diagram) If you have got friends crying, who require you, sick family and eating junk (laughs).” (Pg2)

These excerpts underpin the different roles and relationships she has with others as linked to her wellbeing.

In conclusion, Susan’s role and responsibility as a single parent influenced her identity, personality and wellbeing but also her ability to engage and manage her studies (Forste and Jacobsen, 2013). Her decision to prioritise her son impacted his and her own wellbeing. Susan’s materials illustrated the complexity and

connectedness of the responsibilities and priorities of her role as a parent. She also illustrated the role of her own and others emotions, time and its constraints and how these conflicts impacted her wellbeing given competing priorities over time. Susan also illustrated the varied influence and importance of relationships, including that people might be both positive or negative and that they and tools and resources might be motivators or barriers.