Rural Mothers' Awareness and Decision-Making in Preschool Education: Influences, Challenges, and Opportunities in Pabna District, Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70112/arss-2026.15.1.4399Keywords:
Preschool Education, Children, Well-Being, Rural MotherAbstract
Children in rural areas are comparatively less privileged to get formal preschool education (PSE) facilities, also known as Early Childhood Education (ECE), than the children in urban areas in Bangladesh. This study focused on finding out how socio-economic factors, educational background, and community engagement of rural mothers influence their awareness, perceptions, and decision-making regarding preschool education of their children. Following the qualitative research design, eight key informant interviews (KII) and two focus group discussions (FGD) with five participants in each group were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Considering the socio-economic and other factors, Pabna district was chosen as the study area, and 18 rural mothers were purposively selected for the study following the snowball sampling method. Results of this study demonstrate that rural mothers, despite their low formal education, are surprisingly concerned about their children’s preschool education. Despite facing a good number of hardships, from economic to social and personal, they allow their children to have preschool education. Findings also indicate that rural mothers' educational backgrounds, their socio-economic standings, mothers’ involvement in NGOs and INGOs, and community support significantly helped increase their awareness. This study suggests that public preschool centers need to facilitate interactive and sports-based learning methods and prioritize the establishment of basic amenities for guardians in preschool centers, along with expanded community engagement to foster genuine collaboration among rural mothers.
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