Date

5-20-2026

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration (PhD)

Chair

Sherrita Rogers

Keywords

phenomenological, lived experiences, young single mothers

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of young single mothers between the ages of 18-24 enrolled in a four-year university in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina focusing on challenges encountered while navigating university resources and support services. The theory guiding this study was Norman Garmezy’s theory of resilience as it relates to the resiliency of young single mothers enrolled in a four-year public university in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina. A hermeneutical phenomenology research design, combined with snowball and convenience sampling, facilitated an in-depth exploration of challenges faced by 10 young single mother participants while enrolled in a college setting, aimed to better understand their struggles, opportunities, and motivations. The study’s design was focused on the lived experiences of these students, utilizing various research methods such as semi-structured individual interviews, a focus group, and letter-writing to obtain responses from all 10 study participants. After data analysis, the study’s themes included: lifestyle adjustments, personal factors, and institutional factors, and subthemes, program format, time management, balancing roles, intrinsic motivation, inner strength and resilience, housing issues and food issues. The findings of this study are relevant as they revealed similar experiences of young single mothers enrolled in a four-year university. The conclusions of the study included little communication and insufficient resources and support services for the young single mother enrolled within the university.

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