Invisible Presence: A Phenomenological Study of Single Black Fathers’ Influence on Their Sons’ Post-Secondary Achievement

Author

• La'Toya Sharmane BarnesFollow

Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Division of Education and Counseling

First Advisor

Timothy Glaude, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Reneè V. Akbar, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Tyre’ Jenkins, Ed.D.

Keywords

Black family, Black males, father-son relationships, Fatherwork, intergenerational fathering, single Black fathers

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study shared the narratives of the lived experiences of six single Black fathers. The Fatherwork framework was used to focus on the strategies that single Black fathers implement to support, nurture, discipline, and encourage their sons. Historically, literature surrounding single Black fathers has been viewed from a deficit-based lens (Coles et al., 2023; Dilworth-Bart et al., 2022; Tomlinson & Cox, 2025; Ruffin, 2025). This study also focused on intergenerational fatherhood, which helped fathers identify deficits and strengths of their own upbringing that directly affect how they parent their sons.

Using purposive and snowball sampling, the researcher recruited six single Black fathers and used semi-structured interviews and narrative inquiry to capture their lived experiences, educational expectations, and parenting styles. Findings yielded six themes and twelve subthemes related to the fathers’ perceptions and experiences of single Black fatherhood.

Recommended Citation

Barnes, La'Toya Sharmane, "Invisible Presence: A Phenomenological Study of Single Black Fathers’ Influence on Their Sons’ Post-Secondary Achievement" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 190.
https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/etd/190