The lived experiences of Nigerian immigrant single parents raising their children in the United States

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of Nigerian immigrant single parents raising their children in the United States. A phenomenological approach was used for this study because it deals with human experiences and seeks to understand a group of persons' lived experiences, how they interpret and construct their world, and the meaning they attribute to these experiences (Creswell, 2014). The theoretical framework that guided this research study was Bronfenbrenner's (1979) bioecological systems theory because of its complete account of the contextual influences on development, and the emphasis on the importance of the relationship that exists between the individual and the environment. The participants included 12 first generation Nigerian immigrant single parents who were raising their children by themselves in the United States. They have lived in the United States for at least two years and are currently raising at least one child. All 12 participants were fluent in written and spoken English language and responded to all the demographic and interview questions through face-to-face audio-recorded Zoom web conferencing. The participants responded to semi-structured, open-ended questions which lasted about 45 minutes. All recordings, laptops, and participants’ information were encrypted, password protected, and were locked in a secured cabinet in the researcher’s private office throughout the period of the study. Only the researcher, her faculty advisor, and a coder who participated in the coding process had access to the transcribed data. The researcher transcribed the data verbatim after listening to the audio-recorded interview several times. Data were coded and analyzed. The following four themes emerged: Struggles with Childcare, Sources of Help, Inner Strength, and Cultural Values. The results were compared with previous studies and conclusions, and implications were drawn. Finally, limitations and recommendations for future research were discussed.