Degree Name
EdD (Doctor of Education)
Program
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
12-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Pamela Scott
Committee Members
William Flora, Virginia Foley
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the behavioral manifestations of childhood abandonment as reflected in the lived experiences of African-American men and to identify strategies that may support African-American boys in K–12 educational settings. Although there has been limited documentation regarding the direct connection between childhood abandonment and behavioral challenges in school environments, this study seeks to address that gap by capturing the reflections of African-American men who experienced abandonment during their formative years. These reflections provide insight into how abandonment may shape behavior in educational spaces and what types of interventions or supports might have made a difference during their K–12 schooling.
Data collection strategies included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with African-American men between the ages of 25 and 60 who attended public K–12 schools and experienced some form of childhood abandonment. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) horizontalization of statements to identify significant meaning units, (b) clustering of those units into themes using phenomenological reduction, and (c) synthesis of the structural and textural descriptions into a composite essence. The analysis of the phenomenological interview data will be guided by the theoretical proposition that childhood abandonment disrupts attachment and developmental systems, as explained by Attachment Theory and Ecological Systems Theory. The trustworthiness of the analysis will be protected through reflective journaling and bracketing of researcher bias.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Bell, Jarmel, "Behavioral Manifestations of Childhood Abandonment: African-American Men's Reflections and Strategies to Support Teenage Boys in K-12 Education" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4602. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4602
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons, Prison Education and Reentry Commons
