Using elements of participatory action inquiry, this dissertation research project seeks to explore the impact of mothering practices as a way to influence, contribute to and empower single mothers and their childrens potential for educational persistence. Drawing on themes of motherwork (Hill-Collins, 1994), intergenerational teaching/learning and critical pedagogy, this dissertation examines nine poor and working poor, single White and African American urban Appalachian womens past and present practices of mothering centered around generative themes of abuse, good-vs-bad mothering, and education. By drawing on my history as an African American single mother from a working-class background with Appalachian roots, I seek to gain a deeper understanding of their beliefs, knowledge and values as they construct alternative discourses of mothering that can possibly shape and, in turn, are shaped by dominant discourses of mothering that marginalize these women.
This project extends research and practice in the areas of welfare reform and family literacy research and policy. It explores change as defined by the narratives and experiences of poor and working poor single mothers in out-of-school contexts. This project also aims to create opportunities for dialogue, reflection and action working with poor and working poor women and mothers who are often required to participate in welfare-to-work, family literacy and parenting programs housed in the United States and abroad.