Date
1-16-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Catherine Packer Williams
Keywords
African American Males, Education, Academic Success, Single-Parent Household
Disciplines
Education | Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Scott-Elliott, Denee', "An Examination of Maternal Messages Given to Academically Successful African American Undergraduate Males by Their Single Mothers" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6450.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6450
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of successful African American undergraduate males from single-parent homes, and the maternal messages that contributed to their academic success and resilience. Research shows that African American males face an icreased risk of academic underachievement, particularly those raised by single mothers. The participants consisted of African American undergraduate males who grew up in a single-parent home headed by their mother. For the purpose of this study, academically successful males were defined as males enrolled in a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, maintaining good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. The analysis of data collected from the individual, semi-structured interviews in this qualitative phenomenological study revealed four prominent themes. The four themes: Parental Challenges and Socioeconomic Barriers, Maternal Influence on Academic Motivation, Resilience and Overcoming Adversity, and Support Systems and Community Engagement, all provided an understanding of the experiences that influenced the academic success and resilience of the participants. The findings of this study revealed that the impact of maternal messages conveyed by single mothers significantly influenced the academic achievement of African American males and should be further investigated.
