Investigating African American Parent-Child Dyads Using a Strength-based Approach

This article examines the digital storytelling practices between an African American mother and son. We used agency as a theoretical framework to explore how the two exercised their own power to collaborate on their digital story. As digital technologies became part of their practice, challenges and tensions arose when both participants attempted to override each other’s agency, as demonstrated in their interviews. Data were collected during digital storytelling workshops conducted at a university computer lab, church, and the participants’ home. Using thematic coding, we analyzed audio-recorded interviews to determine the participants’ agency in the context of their digital storytelling activity. We found how a mother and son worked together through resisting and redirecting when creating a digital story, and how their digital storytelling practices displayed evidence of agency. Implications include how familial interactions in digital storytelling practices contribute to the ways agency is conceptualized for families, educators, and researchers.

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An exploratory study of African American parent-child coping strategies post-Hurricane Katrina.

Traumatology An International Journal ◽

10.1177/1534765609348240 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 31-41 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Alison Salloum ◽

Marva L. Lewis

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Hurricane Katrina ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

African American Parent ◽

Child Coping ◽

Parent Child

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Comparing African American and Caucasian Parent - Child Interactions in a Clinical Sample

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e611322013-001 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica L. Spigner ◽

Stephen R. Boggs ◽

Regina Bussing ◽

Sheila M. Eyberg

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Parent Child Interactions ◽

Parent Child

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Qualitative Descriptions of Middle-Class, African American Mothers’ Child-Rearing Practices and Values

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x16683984 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 868-895 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Stephanie M. Curenton ◽

Jocelyn Elise Crowley ◽

Dawne M. Mouzon

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Middle Class ◽

Romantic Partners ◽

Child Rearing ◽

African American Mothers ◽

Family Friendly ◽

Strength Based ◽

American Children ◽

Decision To Stay ◽

The Cost

During qualitative phone interviews, middle-class, mostly married African American mothers ( N = 25) describe their child-rearing responsibilities, practices, and values. They explain (a) why they decided to stay home or take work leave to attend to child rearing, (b) how they divided child-rearing responsibilities with their husbands/romantic partners, (c) whether they faced unique parenting challenges raising African American children, and (d) whether they identified as feminists. Responses revealed the decision to stay home or take work leave comprised values about gender roles, concerns about the cost and/or quality of child care, and the availability of family-friendly workplace policies. Most couples shared child-rearing responsibilities, although mothers admit to doing more. Their unique parenting challenge was protecting their children from racism, stereotyping, and discrimination. Only one third of the mothers identified as being feminists. These results have implications for furthering our knowledge about African American coparenting from a positive, strength-based perspective.

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