Date
5-22-2024
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Richard C. Previte
Keywords
African American digital practices, Parent-child communication, Digital media consumption impacts, African American family dynamics, Digital parenting, Media use in African American homes, Effects of digital media on family communication, Digital media and child development, Social media impact on African American families, Parental mediation and digital technology
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Darris, Teyuna T., "African American Parents’ Perceptions of How Their Digital Practices Affect the Parent-Child Relationship" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5629.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5629
Abstract
This qualitative study aimed to understand African American parents’ perceptions, observations, and experiences concerning their digital practices and whether or not these practices have any impact on their communication with their children. The theories that guided this study are housed in the sociopsychological communication tradition (i.e., uses and gratification theory and the family communication patterns theory) and the sociocultural communication tradition (i.e., cultivation theory). Thirty-five in-depth interviews of African American parents who completed a qualifying survey were conducted. The interview transcripts underwent a thematic analysis to understand the interviewees’ perceptions, observations, and experiences related to the research questions, which addressed their digital practices. The insights from this study can benefit African American parents, caregivers of African American children, scholars, professionals (e.g., educators and social workers), and policymakers to create best practices that could help scholars and practitioners provide more data-informed and data-driven support to African Americans in various contexts (e.g., parenting, family planning, education, social services, etc.).
