Dissertation
The lone unheard: African American fathers' experience navigating the special education system: a narrative study
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
May 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/j0td-v307
Abstract
Research has consistently shown that parent involvement positively influences students' academic outcomes (Henderson & Mapp 2002). Interestingly, studies of parent involvement focus largely on the role of mothers. This is particularly true for studies of African American parent involvement, where participants are often cast as single mothers and fathers assumed to be absent. As a result, little is known about the experiences and engagement of fathers in the education of their children - and even less is known about African American fathers. This narrative study intends to add the voices of African American fathers to this incomplete scholarly record. Given the persistently disproportionate numbers of African American children in special education, this study examines the involvement of fathers in the education of their children with special needs - with attention to their participation in their children's individual education plan (IEP) meetings. Six African American fathers participated in two in-depth interviews. Analysis of the data revealed: 1) Participants' experiences present a counternarrative to the deleterious stereotype of the absent African American father; 2) Participants' experiences also offer a counternarrative to the dominant narrative of mothers as a proxy for "parent" in discussions of parent involvement; 3) Participants' initial reactions to learning about their children's diagnosis with autism corresponds with Kübler-Ross' Grief Cycle; 4) Participants' experiences present a counternarrative to the stereotype of the dysfunctional African American family; and 5) To varying degrees, the intersection of race and gender shaped participants' involvement in their children's schools. Findings from this study inform both practice and future research.
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Details
- Title
- The lone unheard
- Creators
- Brandy Miller - DU
- Contributors
- Kristine S. Lewis Grant (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 141 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 9471; 991014632258304721