Date of Conferral
1-24-2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Tracy Masiello
Abstract
New Jersey is an autism epicenter and may indicate future trends in the United States. The population of American families opting to homeschool is growing, especially among African-American families in New Jersey. The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to examine the perspectives of African American parents’ decisions to homeschool their children with autism in New Jersey through storytelling. The conceptual framework used was the model of parental involvement developed by Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 homeschooling African-American parents using a basic qualitative approach. The results were organized into five themes. One theme was the educational considerations; another time was social and emotional well-being; theme three was educational outcomes and progress. The fourth theme was parental involvement and empowerment, and the final theme was a personalized learning environment. This qualitative study promotes positive social change by increasing our understanding of African American parents’ decisions to homeschool their children diagnosed with autism; such knowledge has the potential to contribute to increased advocacy and awareness within the broader African American community.
Recommended Citation
Stephenson, Shannalee, "The Perspectives of African American Parents’ Decisions to Homeschool Children with Autism in New Jersey" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16969.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16969
