School support systems and teachers´perceptions of teenage pregnancy. Implications for Academic Progression in Ghana

Abstract

This study employed Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory to investigate how teachers in Ghanaian basic schools perceive the support systems for teenage mothers and the implications for academic progression. With high educational discontinuation rates among Ghanaian teenage mothers, despite policies encouraging their education (Morgan et al., 2022). Eight teachers from public basic schools in the Eastern region of Ghana who had experience dealing with pregnant students participated in semi-structured interviews using a qualitative methodology. The thematic analysis of the data highlighted four themes, illustrating ecological dynamics: Mesosystem Disconnections and Chronosystem Adaptations; Microsystem Adaptations and Exosystem Failures; Microsystem Disruptions and Ecological Transitions; and Disjunctures Between Policy Intent and Lived Experience. The findings show how pregnancy simultaneously causes complex ecological disruptions at several system levels, with mesosystem-level communication issues and uneven community support worsening microsystem-level issues like attendance barriers, stigma-induced social isolation, and conflicting role demands. Educational continuity is severely hampered at the exosystem level by implementation discrepancies between policy goals and reality, especially the lack of childcare services. The study advances Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, quality education and gender equality by focusing on SDG targets 4.1 and 4.5. According to these findings, interventions must address individual and interrelated barriers at multiple ecological levels to be effective. The former seeks to eradicate gender disparities in education, while the latter concentrates on universal access to sexual and reproductive health. Considering support as rights-based rather than voluntary, creating integrated mesosystem interventions, strengthening accountability systems, building teacher capacity, and making childcare integration a top priority are some of the recommendations. By addressing these systemic concerns with coordinated multi-level methods, Ghana can develop sustainable and equitable educational systems that will satisfy the needs and circumstances of a diverse student body. In this way, the SDGS' objectives for gender equality and education in general will be directly supported.