Advisory Committee Chair
Grace Jepkembol
Advisory Committee Members
Tammy Delk
Lynn Kirkland
Jenna Lachenaye
Tondra Loder-Jackson
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2022
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
The purpose of this narrative case study was to explore the life experiences and contributions of Dr. Susie Weems Wheeler (1917- 2007), a pioneer African American early childhood educator and administrator during and after the Civil Rights Era. There is limited research on Dr. Wheeler’s life and other African American women who were pioneers in Early Childhood Education during the Civil Rights Era. This study is significant because it focused on the contributions of a pioneer who is missing from the available literature. Data was collected using interviews and review historical documents. The researcher implemented thematic analysis and restorying to analyze the data. The major findings of this study were divided into four themes about Dr. Wheeler that were generated during data analysis. The themes included: (1) community, (2) philanthropy, (3) advocacy, and (4) leadership and post-graduate studies. Implications of this study are (a) teacher preparation programs should include the study of the life of Dr. Susie Wheeler’s and her contributions to the early childhood curriculum, (b) include stories of Dr. Susie Wheeler and other marginalized populations to mainstream children’s literature, (c) families should provide their children with early childhood education opportunities.
Recommended Citation
Wheeler, Alisha D., "Dr. Susie Weems Wheeler: A Narrative Case Study of a Philanthropic Educator During the Civil Rights Era" (2022). All ETDs from UAB. 154.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/154