“Powering Through”: A Mixed Method Phenomenological Study of Resilience, Grit, and Positive Deviance among Single Mother College Graduates

Abstract

College students with children represent a growing segment of the college-going population. As a subset of this group, single mothers in college are considered nontraditional by their age, employment status, parental status, and status as independent for the purposes of financial aid. Overall, the percentage of single mothers who complete a bachelor’s degree is well below their married women counterparts. The purpose of this mixed-method phenomenological study was to explore the “how” and “what” of single mother college completion. Resilience, grit, and positive deviance served as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks for this study. Wagnild and Young’s resilience theory included five characteristics identified as the core factors of resilience. Duckworth’s grit theory examined an individual’s dedication to pursuing goals over time. The exploration of behaviors implemented by successful individuals who overcome obstacles is known as positive deviance. Participants included 257 individuals who responded to an online college history survey. From their responses, 10 self-identified single mothers who had earned at least one degree participated in virtual, one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. Moustakas’ phenomenological methodology guided the qualitative data analysis. The study’s findings indicated that single mothers possessed the five resilience characteristics, maintained a grit or power-through mentality, and engaged in positive deviant behaviors, all of which contributed to their academic success and degree completion. Recommendations for future studies on single mothers are provided to encourage researchers to continue exploring the needs of single mothers and other nontraditional students.