What internal and external factors do previously low-income individuals describe as key to emerging from poverty?

Oyarzo, Felipe

What internal and external factors do previously low-income individuals describe as key to emerging from poverty?

dc.contributor.advisor	Hellman, Chan
dc.contributor.author	Oyarzo, Felipe
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Kisamore, Jennifer
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Kwon, Kyong Ah
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Myers Morgan, Meg
dc.date.accessioned	2024-07-30T21:03:54Z
dc.date.available	2024-07-30T21:03:54Z
dc.date.issued	2024-08
dc.date.manuscript	2024-07
dc.description.abstract	The purpose of this study is to identify the primary internal and external factors that facilitate individuals' emergence from poverty. The principal investigator (PI) conducted interviews with a diverse sample of 21 participants who were born into poverty and successfully transitioned into the middle class. A phenomenological approach was employed, focusing on the lived experiences of these adults. The primary actions participants reported taking to overcome poverty included securing employment, pursuing formal education beyond high school, and relocating. Key internal factors identified were hope, faith, and a desire to escape hunger, abuse, or trauma. Participants predominantly cited their children as significant motivators when asked about family-related factors. Additionally, having parents with shared goals and living in a supportive home environment that provided emotional, verbal, and economic support, along with clear rules and discipline, were crucial. External factors facilitating their emergence from poverty included employment opportunities, access to medical services, welfare support, relocation for work opportunities, support from a church, formal education beyond high school, and specific assistance from a friend in the middle class. At the conclusion of the interview, participants were asked to identify the most critical factors among all the internal and external elements previously discussed. Seventy-six percent of participants indicated that all factors were important as they supported them in an interconnected manner, while sixty-two percent identified their children as the most significant motivating factor in their emergence from poverty. Keywords: poverty emergence, economic mobility, hope, motivating factors.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/11244/340543
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	poverty	en_US
dc.subject	emergence	en_US
dc.subject	hope	en_US
dc.subject	mobility	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Ph.D.	en_US
dc.title	What internal and external factors do previously low-income individuals describe as key to emerging from poverty?	en_US
ou.group	Graduate College	en_US