School of Education


Doctor of Education (EdD)


Angela Smith

Primary Subject Area

Education, General; Education, Sociology of; Hispanic American Studies; Psychology, General; Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies


academic success, drop out, Hispanic, Hispanic teen pregnancy, resiliency


Education | Educational Psychology | Race and Ethnicity | School Psychology | Sociology


Teenage mothers face multiple risk factors that may prevent them from graduating from high school. This study examined the phenomenon of Hispanic teen pregnancy and teen mothers' experiences with emphasis on academic, social , and personal factors to stay in school. The study explored the resiliency of twelve Hispanic teen mothers through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Their stories provide an insight into the challenges the young pregnant/mothers encountered during pregnancy and motherhood at home and in school. Their lived experiences also provide a framework for exploring the school, personal, and economic factors that most influenced their ability to remain in school. Their reflections were analyzed to determine their resiliency to get an education. The data was transcribed then interpreted using the philosophical underpinning of phenomenology to guide the researcher's interpretation as to the impact level of school, personal an economic factors in the participants' lived experiences.