European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu 10.5281/zenodo.170426 Volume 2│Issue 11│2016 VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD Kazım Biberi Balıkesir University, Necatibey School of Education, Balıkesir , Turkey Abstract: When expectant mothers prepare for motherhood, this has a positive impact on their own lives and in terms of their children. The preparations in the process of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and baby care made by a mother-to-be who is becoming a parent for the first time also have an impact on preventing the prevalence of non-functional beliefs and practices. The purpose of this study is to determine the views of first-time expectant mothers regarding the available resources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood. The study was conducted with 16 volunteer mothers-to-be registered at the Mother and Child Health Center in the Altı Eyl(l District of the province of Balıkesir, Turkey. Semi-structured interviews were held with the prospective mothers. The data were analyzed with content analysis. The prospective mothers stated that their sources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood were their own mothers and that they were not following up on any website, blog, book or magazine for this kind of information. While all of the mothers-to-be said that they would participate in an educational program on pregnancy if one were available, none of them had ever attended a pregnancy education program. In this context, when it is considered that the mothers-to-be participating in the study were in the first years of their marriages, it might be recommended that prospective mothers be provided with parent education together with their husbands, regardless of their educational background. Keywords: expectant mothers, pregnancy, perception of motherhood, childcare Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved Published by Open Access Publishing Group ©2015. 29 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD Introduction Becoming a parent is one of the most important decisions made in a lifetime. Besides being a biological circumstance, parenthood is a developmental period in life that encompasses all of the aspects of loving and caring. This period starts even before insemination and brings with it major changes that affect the lives of not only the expectant parents but the entire family. Pregnancy is the first step taken toward assuming the role of parent (Murray, McKinney & Gorrie, 2002). Pregnancy is the realization of a woman's deepest and strongest desire and may be defined as a step she takes towards understanding the reason for her existence and the scope of her own being Üst(n & Çapanoğlu, . Having a child and becoming a parent is one of the most important events in an individual's life. Especially for couples about to become parents for the first time, the period before them is full of anxiety about the pregnancy, the birth and the time after that. Pregnancy encompasses a range of characteristic changes that take place in a woman's body. The action of birthing is not a process that can be completely controlled. There are barriers before it such as fear and the inability to cope. Women search for ways of coping in this period. Besides physical changes, pregnancy brings about psychological changes as well. Most important is the realization of couples that a new individual is about to enter their lives. Their lifestyle will change and they will have to adjust to the new situation. Although this is known to parents beforehand, prospective mothers and their spouses are still unsure about how they can handle the new situation (Delmore-Ko et al., 2000; Callister, 2004; Erikson et al., 2006). In the literature, risk factors that are defined as stressors over the course of pregnancy and birth are the woman's personal experiences, educational status, relationships in the family, the attitudes and experience of the mother and the family in the context of pregnancy, the family's socioeconomic status, the pain to be experienced, the length of the birthing, obstetric and surgical risks, fear of not being able to reach the doctor or the hospital, the number of children and whether or not the woman is experiencing a wanted pregnancy Göz(yeşil et al., Argyropoulos, 2000). Alipour et al., Hood & These risk factors have an impact on the whole family. In particular, prospective mothers and fathers in this period that attach importance both to themselves and to the newborn baby seek counseling in prenatal care. Prospective parents reach out to health institutions to obtain counseling; they read books, follow the written press, attend prenatal classes and look for other ways to prepare for the time ahead (Littleton & Engebreston, 2005). European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 30 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD With the birth, the child too joins the learning process. It is for this reason that a child's mother's role gains more importance in the child's education since she is the one in the family to spend the most time with the child Ersoy & Şahin . The duties that parents of the twenty-first century are trying to take on greatly differ from those of their own parents. While yesterday's parents took their cues from adults more experienced in childcare and education, today's parents apply to a range of resources to access knowledge and advice on childcare and education. The most significant of the resources that they apply to are parent education programs (Long, 2004). Parent education programs are geared to help parents develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed in bringing up children, handling family relationships, and taking on the responsibilities that the family and the community require of mothers and fathers. Some of the programs implemented target providing direct services to the child and the child's close family while others concentrate on the mother and father as well as the child (Sanders et al. 2002). It is important for the future of society that education for mothers continues to be made available and that mothers are provided with information on a child's development, that they are helped to strengthen their relationships with their children, boost their self-confidence and play a more extensive role in the child's schooling. According to the 2010 data of Turkish Population and Health Research (TPHR) on prenatal education provided in Turkey, 81.1% of pregnant women have attended a course on prenatal education at least once. When these results are compared with TPHR data for 1998 and 2008, it can be seen that there is a noteworthy increase in the number of individuals receiving education. Although the rate of women receiving four or more instances of prenatal care has increased somewhat, it has however not as yet reached the desired level (TPHR 2010). The status of receiving education varies in terms of the woman's age, educational status, order of birthing, the city and region she lives in. The higher a woman's level of education, the more likely she is to receive education (Sönmez, 2007). With the major changes in technologies and people's interest with this field, health professionals too have exhibited an enhanced preoccupation with technology. Computer-based educational programs have begun to be developed for patients as well as healthy individuals. Diskettes, cd rooms, analog interactive video cd's and the Internet are all being used for this purpose. The developments in technology have brought a new dimension to classic educational practices and to the concept of advisory services (Richards, Colman & Hollingsworth, 1998; Stop, Riet & Berg, 2004). Prospective mothers are guided into pursuing technology-based support services in their pregnancy European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 31 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD and many parent candidates use the medium of the Internet as a source of information Yenal, Sevil & Okumuş, . "Demographic characteristics" (age, educational background and income level), "environmental restrictors" (mothers' working conditions and their options regarding childcare), and their "beliefs and attitudes" (about motherhood) have a direct impact on mothers Sayıl, G(re, Uçanak & Pungello, Sommer et al., . It has been reported that adolescent mothers are less ready for parenthood compared to their adult counterparts, that they are more authoritarian in their parenting, and that their communication with their children is inferior to the communication adult mothers establish with their children (Sommer et al. 2000). Another study has found that adolescent mothers with inadequate knowledge about child development maintain negative interaction with their babies and particularly engage in negative verbal communication (Altun, 2003). The laws and cultural values of a society influence the childcare preferences a mother shows as a parent Forgays, Ottaway, Guarino & D’Alessio, Lewis, . In Thailand, which has exhibited rapid socioeconomic change, a majority of families prefer to have relatives look after their children. However, as socioeconomic status rises, families are less apt to choose the option of having relatives provide childcare (Richter, 1997). Support in caring for the child provided by the family of a baby's mother or father is a common occurrence in communitarian societies such as Korea (Lee & Keith, 1999) and Malaysia (Noor, 1999). The mother's decision as to who will look after the baby after the birth and where the infant will be cared for has an effect on her beliefs and attitudes and on the environmental restrictors that are within her control Sayıl, G(re, Uçanak & Pungello, 2009). If the mother has made the decision that her mother will be looking after the baby, she will then change the environmental factors around her, perhaps re-locating to be closer to her mother's home or planning adjustments in working hours with her husband to make room for cooperating in the child's care (Pungello & Kurtz-Costes, 1999). Studies in the field have shown that a mother's demographic characteristics, beliefs and attitudes, and environmental restrictors influence her lifestyle and decisions before and after the birth of a child. Pregnant women wish to bring a healthy baby into the world but at the same time, are plagued with worries and anxieties about motherhood. These anxieties are directly related to her knowledge, skills, experience and preparation for pregnancy and motherhood. In this context, the purpose of the present study was to determine the views of mothers-to-be who were in at least the fifth European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 32 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD month of their pregnancy and about to become a mother for the first time about the available sources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood. Method Research Model The study was carried out in line with the situational design method of qualitative research. Situational design in qualitative studies provides a concentrated look into a particular situation (Glesne, 2012). The purpose of the situational design is to provide an in-depth study of a particular unit such as an individual or a school in the context of a single subject (Simons, 2009). Research Sample The technique of criterion sampling, a purposive sampling method, was used to determine who would participate in the study. Purposive sampling provides the opportunity to conduct research and an in-depth investigation by choosing particular situations that serve the purpose of the study (Büyüköztürk et alia, 2012). This sampling method works with situations that fit previously defined criteria Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2005). The criteria that were used in this study to determine the mothers that would participate were being pregnant with a first child and having completed the 4th month of pregnancy. At the same time, the participants were also required to agree to take part in an interview and to participate on a volunteer basis. Thus, 21 pregnant women were identified in 2015 through the records of the Balıkesir Province, Altı Eyl(l District Mother and Child Health Center and their contact information was obtained. The prospective mothers were contacted during their regular health check-ups. Sixteen of the prospective mothers volunteered to take part in the study. The first meeting with the mothers to provide them with information was held at the district community health center. All of the prospective mothers were pregnant with their first children and were in the fifth month of their pregnancy (week 18-22). Table 1: Distribution of Prospective Mothers by Demographic Characteristics (n=16) Prospective Mother n % 18-25 10 62.5 26-32 6 37.5 Age Education European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 33 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD Elementary school 3 18.75 High School 4 25 Associate degree 3 18.75 University degree 6 37.5 Housewife 9 56.25 Student 1 6.25 Sales Representative 1 6.25 Teacher 5 31.25 6 37.5 10 62.5 16 100 16 100 1 Year 6 37.5 2 Years 5 31.25 3 Years 3 18.75 5 Years 2 12.5 16 100 Profession Working Status Employed Unemployed Pregnancy Status First Prenatal Education? No Years Married Total The youngest of the prospective mothers in the study was 18, the oldest 32 years old; 62.5% were 18-25 years old and 37.5% were in the age range 26-32. When reviewed in terms of their educational background, 43.75% were high school graduates or lower, 56.25% had associate or undergraduate degrees. Of the pregnant mothers, 56.25% were housewives and only 37.5% stated that they were unemployed. All of the prospective mothers were experiencing their first pregnancy and 37.5% were in the first year of their marriage (Table 1). Data Collection Instrument The data in this study were collected using a semi-structured interview form that had been developed by the researcher. After the needed scan of the literature was carried out, the open-ended interview questions composed by the researcher were presented to two faculty members who were experts in their fields; the experts made the necessary adjustments to the open-ended questions. To check to see whether the questions were comprehensible, preliminary interviews were held with two of the pregnant women. These interviews were not included in the study and the questions to be used in the research were given their final form. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 34 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD The semi-structured interview form was divided into two sections. The first section aimed to prepare the prospective mothers for the interview, define the sample's socio-demographic characteristics, and ensure that the respondents were comfortable with the questions. Information about age, education, employment, pregnancy, marriage duration was included among the brief interview questions. The second section contained four open-ended interview questions aiming to determine the sources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood that the prospective mothers experiencing their first pregnancy consulted. The questions asked of the participants in the study were: 1. In this period in which the social media has become very important, are you following any website, blog or similar source to learn about the mother and child relationship? 2. Is there any book, magazine or other publication that you're reading about motherhood? 3. Do you think you will be doing what your family did in caring for your child? 4. Who will you ask for help in the care of your newborn child? Data Analysis In the implementation of the research, all of the interviews were conducted face-to-face and the discussions were recorded on a voice recorder with the participants' permission. A total of 960 minutes of discussions were held as part of the study. Following the interviews, the data recorded were converted from raw data into text using the Microsoft Word processing program. Before coding the data, the researcher read the prospective mothers' views out loud to them line by line. The research analysis was performed using both descriptive and content analysis methods. Validity and Reliability In this study, which adopts a qualitative research approach, instead of using the concepts of validity and reliability, it was felt that it would be better to adopt an approach that makes use of the concepts of cogency, transferability, consistency and confirmability (Mills, 2003). To ensure the cogency of the research, all of the interviews held in the implementation of the study were recorded on a voice recorder. The research took care to be as objective as possible throughout the stages of the study. In the matter of transferability, the research had to provide readers with enough details so that decisions could be made on the implementation and content. To accomplish this, the mothers' views were presented to the reader in the form of tables. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 35 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD To increase the consistency of the study, all of the findings were presented to the reader directly, without interpretation or generalization. Also, all the data obtained in the research were evaluated by the two researchers and a general consensus was attained on all the coding, all of which had been separately coded. The degree of consistency between the codes used by the two researchers independently was identified as "Agreement" or "Disagreement." To calculate the interrater reliability of the codes, Miles and Huberman's (1994) recommended reliability formula [Reliability=Agreement + / (Agreement + Disagreement)] was used. Interrater reliability in the reliability calculation for each question was found to be 98%. In this context, the responses the sixteen prospective mothers gave to the interview questions were coded according to their content in line with the most appropriate category coded by the researcher; a frequency calculation was made for responses of the same kind and the result was calculated as a percentage of the number of respondents. The participants were numbered from one to sixteen and named in the abbreviated form of A-1, A-2, A-3, ... A-16. Results Table 2 presents findings concerning whether, at a time in today's world when the social media is of great importance in people's lives, prospective mothers were following a website, blog or similar resource to learn about the relationship between mother and child. Table 2: Views of the prospective mothers on whether or not they followed a website, blog or similar resource on the relationship between mother and child Are you following any website, blog or similar source to learn about the relationship between mother and child? Ages 18-25 Yes No Total n (%) n (%) n (%) 5 (50) 5 (50) 10 (100) Ages 26-32 1 (16.7) 5 (83.3) Total 6 (37.5) 10 (62.5) 6 (100) 16 (100) Education Group High School and Lower 3 (42.9) 4 (57.1) 7 (100) Education Group Associate Degree/Undergraduate 3 (33.3) 6 (66.7) 9 (100) Total 6 (37.5) 10(62.5) 16 (100) Employed 3 (50) 3 (50) 6 (100) Unemployed 3 (30) 7 (70) 10 European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 36 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD (100) Total 6 (37.5) 10 (62.5) 16 (100) As can be seen in Table 2, while there were 6 prospective mothers (37.5%) who were following a website, blog or similar resource, 10 prospective mothers (62.5%) said they were not following any such publication. In today's world, in which the social media has become so important, of the six mothers who said they were following a website or a blog, only 1 was in the age group 26-32. Furthermore, 6 (66.7%) of the 10 prospective mothers who were not following these publications had associate/undergraduate degrees and of these mothers, 3 were employed. Prospective mother A7, who said she did not follow any website or blog on the relationship between mother and child, expressed her views as, "...The place where I work has computers and the Internet but I don't know how to scan to find information on these subjects; also, I don't know of any friends who do..." The views of the prospective mothers on the books, magazines and other similar resources that they read to learn about motherhood are presented in Table 3. Table 3: Views of prospective mothers on the books they read and the magazines they follow about motherhood Is there any book, magazine or other publication that you're Yes No Total 0 (.0) 6 (100) 6 (100) 6 (60) 4 (40) reading about motherhood? Ages 18-25 n (%) Ages 26-32 n (%) Total Education Group High School and Lower Education Group Associate Degree/Undergraduate Total Employed Unemployed n 6 10 16 (%) (37.5) (62.5) (100) n 1 6 (85.7) 7 (100) (%) (14.3) n 5 4 (44.4) 9 (100) (%) (55.6) n 6 10 16 (%) (37.5) (62.5) (100) n 4 2 (33.3) 6 (100) (%) (66.7) n 2 (20) 8 (80) 10 (%) Total European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 10 (100) (100) n 6 10 16 (%) (37.5) (62.5) (100) 37 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD While 10 mothers (62.5%) answered "No" to the question, they were asked about whether or not they read books or followed magazines to learn or improve their knowledge about motherhood; only 6 mothers (37.5%) said "Yes." All of the 6 mothers replying "Yes" to the question on whether they followed magazines or read books on motherhood were older than 26; 5 of them (55.6%) held an associate/undergraduate degree and 4 (66.7%) were employed (Table 3). Prospective mother A9 is a language graduate teaches and has not read a book or followed a magazine on motherhood or childcare. The prospective mother said, "...I have a very busy life. I run around between work and home. Would I have any time left for reading a book?" Table 4: Views of the prospective mothers on whether they would do as their own families did in caring for their child Do you think you will be doing what you family did in caring for Yes No Total your child? Ages 18-25 f(%) 0 (0) 6 (100) 6 (100) Ages 26-32 f(%) 4 (40) 6 (60) 10 (100) Total f(%) 4 (25) 12 (75) 16 Education Group High School and Lower f(%) 0 (0) 7 (100) 7 (100) Education Group Associate Degree/Undergraduate f(%) 4 5 9 (100) (44.4) (55.6) 4 (25) 12 (75) (100) Total f(%) 16 (100) Employed Unemployed f(%) f(%) 2 4 (33.3) (66.7) 2 (20) 8 (80) 6 (100) 10 (100) Total f(%) 4 (25) 12 (75) 16 (100) Table 4 presents findings on how much the prospective mothers will adopt the attitudes of their own families with respect to the perception of motherhood and childcare, a factor that is thought to have an impact on the knowledge, know-how and perceptions of prospective mothers on motherhood. As can be seen in Table 4, 12 of the prospective mothers (75%) were 25 years of age and younger (n:6). All of the prospective mothers whose education was high school and lower (n:7) stated that they would not reflect the perceptions and attitudes of their own families in their own lives while 4 (25%) of the prospective mothers stated that they would. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 38 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD Prospective mother A4 is a high school graduate and under the age of 25. She responded to the mentioned question by saying, "...my mother did some things that I did not approve of when she was raising my brother. She indulged him and spoiled him; now she's paying for it. Also, she didn't want me to go to the university but she allowed my brother to go, I will never do what she did." Table 5: Views of the prospective mothers on seeking aid in looking for the baby after the birth Views of the prospective mothers on Spouse seeking aid in looking for the baby after My My mother family Nanny Sibling No help birth Ages 18-25 f(%) 1 (25) 6 (75) Ages 26-32 f(%) 3 (75) 2 (25) Total f(%) 4 (100) 8 (100) Education Group High School and f(%) 2 (50) 5(62.5) f(%) 2 (50) Total f(%) Employed 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 3(37.5) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 4 (100) 8 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) f(%) 2 (50) 2 (25) 1 (100) 1 (100) Unemployed f(%) 2 (50) 6 (75) 1 (100) Total f(%) 4 (100) 8 (100) 1 (100) Lower Education Group Associate Degree/Undergraduate 1 1(00) 1 (100) 1 (100) 1 (100) As can be seen in Table 5, the 16 prospective mothers participating in the study identified their spouses (n: 4, 25%) as the person that would be aiding in looking after the newborn; some identified their mothers (n:8, 50%), their own relatives (n:1, 6.25%), a nanny (n:1; 6.25%), sibling (n:1, 6.25%). One person said there would be no one assisting (n:1, 6.25%). One of the prospective mothers who pointed to her own relative said this relative was the wife of her uncle while another said that the relative would be her own sister. Ten (62.5%) of the prospective mothers comprising the sample expected to be assisted by their own mothers or sisters. Only 25% (n:4) of the prospective mothers stated that she would be assisted by her husband. Prospective mother A2 said, "We moved here because of my husband's work; I didn't know anybody, we have no relatives here. My mother works so she will only be with me during the birth; she won't be able to stay with me and I didn't want my mother-in-law. I'm going to try to work everything out by myself..." European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 39 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations Mothers-to-be experience both physical and psychosocial changes during pregnancy, birth and in the postpartum period. These changes affect the whole family (Littleton & Engebreston, 2005). The family tries to find various ways to cope with crisis. In particular, prospective mothers and fathers in this period that attach importance to themselves and to the newborn baby seek counseling in prenatal care. Prospective parents reach out to health institutions to obtain counseling; they read books, follow the written press, attend prenatal classes and look for other ways to prepare for the time ahead (Littleton & Engebreston, 2005). It was found in this study that 6 of the prospective mothers (37.5%) followed websites, blogs and other resources regarding the mother-child relationship and childcare while 10 (62.5%) did not. Of the mothers that did follow up on such resources, 5 (83.3%) were of the ages 18-25 and only 3 mothers-to-be (33.3%) were holders of associate/undergraduate degrees (Table 2). data of the State Institute of Statistics DİE , According to the . % of Internet users in Turkey make use of the Internet to benefit from information on health. The largest share in this rate, 22.38%, comprises users that browse the Internet for research on health DİE, . A study has found that women who most frequently used the Internet were of the ages 30-49, university graduates, and of childbearing age (Dickerson, 2006). According to the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute TUİK, , % of women (ages 16-25) are Internet users. In their cross-sectional study, Gürel et al. (2006) reviewed the status of women who had given birth in the last two years in terms of their reaching out for information during their term of pregnancy. The study reported that the rate of women benefiting from information sources outside of the doctors and nurses at the locations where pregnancy check-ups were made (doctors' offices, community health centers, hospitals, private clinics) was 82%. Next to doctors and nurses, it was found that women's sources of information were books (54%), television (40%), friends (22.4%), and the radio and Internet (7.6%). Yenal et al. (2010) found in their review of which sources on pregnancy women consulted that 78% applied to doctors, 66% read books and magazines, and 58.5% benefited from websites. The finding that pregnant women consult websites the least is consistent with the results of the present study. Looking into their statements, it was found that 6 (37.5%) of the mothers-to-be read books and magazines on motherhood and 10 (62.5%) did not read any books or magazines. None of the prospective mothers in the 18-25 age group (n:6, 100%) and European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 40 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD 85.7% of the prospective mothers with an education of high school and lower consulted books and magazines (Table 3). These findings suggest that the younger and the less educated pregnant women are, the less they will tend to benefit from books, magazines and printed matter. Clarke & Gross (2004) reported in their study that the higher their socioeconomic status and the higher their level of education, pregnant women were more likely to resort to books and magazines to obtain information on exercising. This too supports the results of the present study. In a study by Demirci & Karanisoğlu 1), it was found that 53.7% of women had no knowledge about pregnancy and depended on the information and beliefs of their relatives in this context. Research by Dinç (2005) found that the young ages of the mothers in the study, their low level of education and their reliance on the knowledge of childcare supplied by elders in the family led to the adoption of predominantly traditional modes of childcare and to more instances of incorrect and ineffective childcare practices. In this study, 12 (75%) of the prospective mothers and of these, all of those who were 25 years of age or below (n:6) and with an education of high school or lower (n:7) stated that they would not continue the perception of motherhood and beliefs about childcare of their families, a factor that is thought may have an impact on the formation of knowledge, know-how and perceptions (Table 4). However positive this may be perceived to be, it may not be concluded that the knowledge, know-how, attitudes and skills of the prospective mothers are adequate. Studies show that prospective mothers who have adequate knowledge about pregnancy and receive professional healthcare experience a positive, happy and healthy pregnancy and feel ready for motherhood Akçay & Terzioğlu Atar G(ler & Kemik 2007; Dülger et al.2005). Ten (62.5%) of the prospective mothers in the study expected to be assisted by their own mothers or sisters after the birth of the child. Only 25% (n:4) of the mothersto-be said that they would be receiving help from their husbands (Table 5). Women may have feelings of hopelessness when they are faced with having to take care of the newborn's needs and well as their own. This is why women need to be supported in the period after the birth of their child. The idea of support involves a system of material, mental and emotional support and the perception of support is different for each individual (Mermer et al. 2010). Social support has a positive impact on a woman's adapting to her role of being a mother, both during pregnancy and in the period after the birth Taşkın, . It has been reported that the social support provided to a woman allows her to have a pleasant pregnancy, slip into the role of mother more easily and experience fewer problems after the birth Okanlı, European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 . 41 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD In a study by Sayıl et al. , it was found that prospective mothers' views on the issue of receiving support is different before and after the birth of their child and that the assistance that is first expected from husbands is later expanded to include other members of the family. These conclusions are in line with those of the present study.  Recommendations in the light of the results may be the following: Providing mothers-to-be with reliable, healthy and support-giving resources on knowledge and skills concerning motherhood can be made possible through planned educational programs. It is for this reason that the Turkish Public Health Agency may be able to support prospective mothers, particularly those expecting their first child, with appropriate educational programs addressing all mothersto-be, regardless of their demographic characteristics. The proposed program may encompass examples drawn from life that would be instrumental in  eliminating traditional or ineffective practices. The pregnancy education programs organized by public health organizations in Turkey may benefit from the medium of the WEB supported by modern technology and prospective mothers may accordingly be given the opportunity  to use the Internet.  health institutions with needed pages added as guides to practices. Manuals can be distributed to mothers-to-be that are regularly updated by the Pregnancy programs that include prospective mothers as well as their immediate circles may yield better results. Funding Author received a research grant to conduct the current study from The Scientific Research Projects (SRP) Fund of Balikesir University. Project No. 20040005. Compliance with Ethical Standards All procedures performed in the current study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the study was conducted. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Conflict of interest The authors declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship or publication of this article. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 42 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD References 1. Akçay P., Terzioğlu, F., . Amniyosentez ve koryon villus örneklemesi uygulanan gebe kadınların yaşadıkları sorunlar ve anksiyete d(zeyleri. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Y(ksekokulu Dergisi, -34. 2. Alipour, Z., Lamyian, M., Hajizadeh, E., Vafaei, M. A., 2011. The Association Between Antenatal Anxiety and Fear of Childbirth in Nulliparous Women: a Prospective Study. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 16(2), 16. 3. Atar Güler S., Kemin V.D., . Gebeliğe ilişkin bilgi d(zeyi, etkenleri ve bunun doğum öncesi bakım (zerine etkisi. T(rkiye Klinikleri J Gynecol Obst. , - 109 4. Callister, L, C., . Making meaning women’s birth narratives. 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Becoming a parent: the relation between prenatal expectations and postnatal experience. J Fam Psychol. 14 (4), 625-40. 32. Yenal, K., Okumuş, H., Sevil, Ü., . Web Ortamında İnteraktif- Antenatal Danışmanlık İle Gebeliğe İlişkin Bilgi Gereksinimlerinin İncelenmesi, Dokuz Eyl(l Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Y(ksekokulu Elektronik Dergisi, European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 2 │ Issue 11 │ 2016 , -14 45 Kazım Biber VIEWS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS ABOUT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO MOTHERHOOD Creative Commons licensing terms Author(s) will retain the copyright of their published articles agreeing that a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) terms will be applied to their work. 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