Date
5-20-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Debra Perez
Keywords
interpretative phenomenological analysis, resilience, African American women, single-mother households, higher education persistence
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Williams, La'Quita Shaunae, "Becoming Resilient: The Lived Experiences Of African American Women Who Were Raised By Single Mothers While Pursuing Higher Education" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8422.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8422
Abstract
This study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of African American women ages 18–45 who were raised exclusively by single mothers while pursuing higher education. The purpose of the study was to examine how participants interpreted and made meaning of resilience within the context of their academic journeys. Nine participants met inclusion criteria following an initial screening process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using IPA’s iterative, idiographic approach, allowing for in-depth exploration of individual narratives prior to cross-case thematic synthesis. Findings revealed resilience as relational, intergenerational, and culturally grounded. Themes reflected maternal modeling, adaptive persistence, identity negotiation within academic spaces, and the navigation of multiple adult roles. The study contributed to resilience literature by reframing resilience as an interpretative and meaning-making process rather than a fixed trait. Implications for higher education practice, policy, and theory are discussed.
