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sociAl Models: students who are parents

Jessamyn Miller
Ruqian ZHou
Baimeng Zhang

Project introduction method and process model I model II
Purpose

Our project explored the social relationships of
Carnegie Mellon graduate students who are
parents. We wanted to gain insights into the
sources of support and stress faced by students
who have the dual responsibility of studying and
raising a family.

Early concepts
Concept
Progress
Synthesis
Sketches

Early concepts
Concept
Progress
Synthesis
Sketches

Questionnaire
Hi, thank you for coming today. Our team is Jessamyn, Ruqian and Baimeng and we are working on a project for Student-A
Miso Kim's conceptual models course.
We are interested in learning more about you as a graduate student who is a parent. Our research session will take
30 minutes and we will be asking you some questions, asking you to draw and to make a collage.
Q 1. Please tell me about yourself and your family. What program are you in? Were you a parent when you came to Student-B
graduate school, or were your children born after you became a student? How old are your children?
A 1. Today we are interested in learning more about your social life, before and after you began graduate school
and how you adapted to the experience.
The first thing we'd like you to do is spend five minutes and make a collage using these photos, stickers and your
own writing and drawing to illustrate your social life in three phases: before you came to school, when you first Student-C
arrived and were adapting, and now.
A 2. The second thing we'd like you to do is imagine two circles. One represents your social life as a parent. The
other represents your social life as a student. How big are they? Are they close together or far apart? Do they
overlap? Now draw the two circles and explain their relationship. Student-D
Q 2. Do you feel that you face unique challenges as a graduate student and a parent?
Q 3. If you could have the perfect social life as a parent and a graduate student, what would it look like?
Q 4. May we contact you in the coming weeks for follow up feedback on our design ideas for graduate students
who are parents?
Thank you very much for your time today! We appreciate your help.
Please take some snacks.

Early concepts
Concept
Progress
Synthesis
Sketches

Collages and individual interviews
Student-A Student-B Student-C Student-D

Early concepts
Concept
Progress
Synthesis
Sketches
Student-A Student-B Student-C Student-D

Q1: I am a 2nd year CPID, Q1: In CPID, I had kids before I In Ph.D. program. My Collage: (laughs) holds high
grad, married, almost 6 came. They are (I entered in children were born while I heels out, maybe somewhere
years, and my anniversary is 2006, part time), they are 17, was in the program. Eldest before here (to the far left of
next weekend. I did have a girl, and 20, boy. both are in will be 5 in May, the youngest the paper, smewhere before
daughter when I came to school, high school and will be two in June. Did marriage). I love to play with
school, she was 1 year old college. older is a boy, other is Master, but they were born my son, and making
when I started, and is almost a girl. I'm married, before I after that. something for him, drawing
3 now. Obviously, I have came to school. When I cartoons for him. He shows us
another little one on the started, she was 11 and my an image of an Iron Man
way, due in June. son was 14. They were in cartoon and ﬁgure he made

Sketches

Sketches of the
students from their
stories told during
interviews. Visualizing
the situations and
behavior helped us
remember their
feelings and
relationships.

Sketches

BEFORE TRANSITION NOW WISH

Family Family Family
happy { family more time
social life is
with family
travel,beer,laugh
for hobby Kids and family first

wo
more time less time for family

uld
for leisure

lov
Does homework

em
stress It would be great if we could ﬁnd some with kids

ore
couples with kids. I feel like I have

tim
more in common with professors, but not so much time

ef
missing in for school events

or
you can't be friends when you're the

fam
professional life
student. It's diﬃcult, I'd love to just

ily
{

and
talk with them about kids, but there's works independently
happy less collaboration

frie
school that distinction, I'm a student, you're a few friends pensive

nds
a professor, but in my life, I have a lot scared
more in common with them than

wo
classmates.
person 1 School Friend School Friend

uld
working through it, School tired, Friend

lov
stress everything wrong

em
or
et
im
ef
BALANCE

or
fam
ily
an

df
friend

rie
nd
s
photo
or small icon

Family

We need some brief info of each
one, would you like edit some
storys for them? with your lovly
figure?

person 2 School Friend School Friend School Friend

Family School Friend
Family Family

Our early concept for
photo
or small icon

model one. We wanted We need some brief info of each

s
nd
frie
to illustrated the
figure?

and
ily
fam
or
person 3 School Friend School Friend

ef
School Friend

tim
relationships between

ore
em
lov
uld
wo
family, school and

ds
frien
and
family
friends using a triangle
photo

for
or small icon

time
ore
ve m
to indicate balance.

ld lo
We need some brief info of each

wou
figure?

person 4 School Friend School Friend School Friend

The Social Lives of Students who are Parents
Our model shows the findings from interviews with four graduate students at
Carnegie Mellon University who are parents. We asked them to explain their social
Family Family
lives from their experience both as a student and as a parent.

The conceptual model shows an overview of the balance between relationships
School Friends School Friends within the family, at school and with friends. Brighter colors represent happiness.
Darker, muted colors represent struggle. White areas represent a lack of that element
Jessamyn Miller, Ruqian Zhou, Baimeng Zhang
in their lives. The sketches illustrate stories the students told us about their lives.
Conceptual Models, Carnegie Mellon University Struggling
Spring 2011
Miso Kim, instructor

Student/parent Before graduate school Transitioning into school My social life now


School Friends School Friends School Friends

couples with kids. I feel like I have more
in common with professors, but you
can't be friends when you're the

with them about kids, but there's that
distinction, I'm a student, you're a
Before I came to school, I was not working, I was at home all I was busy, with lots of people around my age. I made new
professor, but in my life, I have a lot
day. I could go for walks, runs, to the park, but we had no close friends. It was nice being around adults, and adult things, started—I hate the term playmate—but going to a playdate, a
more in common with them than
circle of friends. My social life revolved around family. I got being back in school. I have a larger social life as student, birthday party. Our daughter is in school now, so we meet
classmates.
bored a lot. I'd wait for 6 o'clock to roll around, and if my there's more people my age, I can go out and be with adults, parents that way.
husband was ever late I'd be like, "Oh my goodness!" but I can’t commiserate with anyone. My thesis advisor doesn't
have kids. If my daughter is sick, I can't get things done.

Family Family
Family

School Friends School Friends
School Friends

There’s a slight disconnect between the
people who have children and
understand this world, and people who
don't. They can imagine it but don't
necessarily understand it and that is the I used to sleep. I remember sleep. We didn't have kids, so Teaching for me is social. It’s conversational and I get to know
majority of people. graduate school]. A lot of getting to know people, food, people.We’ll run into other parents from day care when we’re
Quiet was nice. picking up our kids and we’ll have dinner together that evening.

Family Family
Family


I usually spend Saturday afternoon
playing with my son. It's one of the joys

with missing out on social interactions
with classmates. They hang out in the
pub, social drinking and partying. I I hung out with my friends and my wife. We'd go to movies I spend a lot of time with other Korean families.
choose to stay home with my family. met new classmates and hung out with them drinking beer Church serves as a Korean community. I spend
sports together. At that time, my wife and I, we didn't really together, having fun and playing video games. most of the time with my wife and son, a lot of
worry about anything. It was almost carefree. church friends, they're like a family social life.
Almost the whole weekend I spend with them.



Throughout this, my kids are the focus.
They are the thread throughout. They
get what they need. My husband, on
the other hand, does not. He has to
fend for himself. He's understanding!

Before graduate school, I had more time for family and my In graduate school, I realized I'd have to drop my prior I'm a good model for my kids, they're learning from me. I
husband. I was able to visit my sisters and had more family and knowledge and open my mind. It took time, and that meant understand what they're going through. We sometimes do
personal time. time away from family. Because I'm part time, I didn't develop


Karen,
28, full-time graduate student, from Boston, MA

be content from busy but happy school life / feel solitary out of school

support

understanding responsibility

sharing planning


Suggestions
join some community groups to know more families

have more weekend activities with other families

support


sharing planning


Mark,
33, part-time graduate student, local Pittsburgher

gain much support from family and friends out of school / feel solitary in school

support


sharing planning


Suggestions
join some parent-student support group

have more family-freiendly activities with peers

support


sharing planning

Thank you

Jessamyn Miller
Ruqian ZHou
BaimEng Zhang

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