Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Georita Frierson

Abstract

The National Center for Education Statistics indicated that the number of African American females who have enrolled in undergraduate and postbaccalaureate programs since 2000 has increased significantly. Enrollment numbers do not provide a deeper understanding of what factors inform females’ academic aspirations or their desire to attend college. Through the use of a generic qualitative approach and the application of the role theory conceptual framework, this study was conducted to explore the beliefs and attitudes of African American mothers age 30 to 40 regarding their educational experiences, the formation and communication of the academic expectations for their adolescent daughters, and the external resources mothers use to support the goals they have for their daughters. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with five African American mothers. Findings from reflexive thematic analysis indicated four themes (challenging experiences, high expectations, academic conversations, and it takes a village) and two subthemes (like mother, like daughter…but better, and goals for my daughter). Findings may be used to create interventions aimed at helping mothers communicate higher educational expectations for their daughters, and to inform mothers of possible connections between their experiences and their daughters’ experiences for the purpose of developing strategies and routines to communicate positive academic expectations.

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