Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Social Work
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
This qualitative phenomenological study explored the motivations and lived experiences of African American homeschooling families. Twelve Black parents from multiple states participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) Modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method and coded thematically using NVivo. Nine themes emerged: autonomy, holistic education, community belonging, online networks, public resources, curriculum gaps, personal values, effective learning, and legacy of harm. While racialization in schools—including tracking, microaggressions, and misidentification—contributed to participants’ decisions, motivations also reflected intersectional factors such as faith, disability, mental health needs, giftedness, and a desire for cultural protection and flexible learning. Findings suggest homeschooling serves as a pathway for self-determination, cultural preservation, and emotional safety. Implications include developing culturally responsive homeschool networks, strengthening policy protections for Black homeschoolers, and training social workers and educators to recognize homeschooling as a valid educational and therapeutic intervention, and educational autonomy for Black families is a necessary right, not an option. This study contributes empirically by centering Black American homeschooling families’ lived experiences and identifying homeschooling as a values-driven, child-responsive educational practice. Theoretically, it extends Critical Race Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory by showing how educational self-determination functions as an intersectional, non-monolithic form of ecological redesign and counter-narrative agency in response to structural inequities.
Keywords: African American; Black; Critical Race Theory (CRT); Home Education; Home Schooling; Qualitative Methodology; Race; Racism; School Choice
Date
1-23-2026
Recommended Citation
Witt, Portia J., "A QUALITATIVE EXAMINATION OF THE MOTIVATIONS FOR HOMESCHOOLING AMONG BLACK AMERICANS" (2026). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6996.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6996
Committee Chair
Cassandra Chaney
Included in
Counselor Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Education Policy Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Legal Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Work Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons