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Dissertation
Exploring Agency And Advocacy Experiences Of Parents Of Elementary Children With Disabilities
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2023
Abstract
Children with disabilities are a marginalized group and current literature indicates that their parents are less likely to participate in their education. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the agency and advocacy experiences of parents of elementary school children with disabilities in a school district in a central Florida school district. Using purposeful sampling, 20 parents of elementary school-age children with a disability who live in Central Florida were selected as participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. Social justice theory and the capability approach were the theoretical frameworks used to explore the roles of parental agency and parent advocacy in parents of children with disabilities. The major findings from this study revealed four themes common across the two subordinate research questions. First, parents of elementary students with disabilities encountered positive experiences (i.e., pleasant and helpful) and stressful experiences (i.e., unpleasant and unproductive). Next, the theme of desire for success emerged from parents’ expressions of goals for their child’s education and their child’s life. The last theme to emerge was the desire to help others. These themes emerged from parents offering recommendations to improve the educational experiences of others. Additionally, parental agency was expressed through educational and well-being goals for their children with disabilities. The implications from this study suggest that further research explore the experiences of parents who have varied educational backgrounds to explore if parent education is a factor in advocacy and agency.
Details
- Title
- Exploring Agency And Advocacy Experiences Of Parents Of Elementary Children With Disabilities
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- William R. Crawley (Committee Chair)Elizabeth Heins (Committee Member)Kathy Piechura-Couture (Committee Member)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 160
- Copyright
- Unpublished work © Lisa Marie Bidwell
- Identifiers
- 99380151696606600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida