Date

8-6-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Janet Vosen

Keywords

Black men, reading, literacy, perceptions

Disciplines

Education | Elementary Education

Abstract

The purpose of this multiple-case qualitative study was to explore the literacy attitudes, reading habits, and literacy perceptions of college-educated Black men in North Carolina. The theory guiding this study is Freire’s Critical Literacy Theory (CLT). CLT supports educators in providing critical pedagogy, which includes critical thinking and critical text analysis. Participants in this study viewed literacy as a valuable life skill. They felt they would have had more positive literacy experiences during their K-12 schooling if they received culturally relevant and culturally responsive instruction. The central research question for the case study was: How do college-educated Black men describe their literacy experiences? A multiple-case qualitative study was conducted with 10 college-educated Black males, age 37 to 52, who resided in North Carolina and were educated in North Carolina from Kindergarten to 12th grade. I collected data for the case study using individual interviews, focus groups, and a letter-writing prompt. Findings from the study indicated that college-educated Black men recognize reading as a critical life skill and that community involvement is key to improving the negative stereotypes and literacy perceptions surrounding reading and Black males. Themes that emerged from the study included early literacy influences, disinterest in reading, shifts in literacy attitudes, Black men and literacy in the media, and solutions for improving perceptions. These themes were identified based on data collected from participants and analysis of individual interviews, letter writing prompts, and focus groups.

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