The current study examined educators' perceptions of liberatory spaces in higher education. The literature review delves into an analysis of power and oppression in higher education, a description of liberatory spaces in the academy, and outcomes of those spaces, specifically self-empowerment. The methodological approach for the current study was…

Academic life in the present era is subject to several occupational stressors, including increased workloads, reduced research funding, tenuous career paths, and family-work conflicts. Such stressors affect academics' quality of life, wellbeing, and job satisfaction, and women are particularly vulnerable. There is, however, a dearth of information…

Purpose: All-women's higher education institutions serve the goal of offering a highly marginalized population a safe space to learn, mature, grow and develop physically, emotionally and intellectually. What might seem to be an obvious criticism is that a woman can, theoretically, achieve the same in a co-ed institution. Arguably, the scale of…

A phenomenological qualitative research study was conducted to answer the research question: How do first-generation college students experience ambiguous loss towards their cultural identity because of cultural mismatch? To what extent do first-generation college students experience ambiguous loss of their cultural identity? The researcher…

First-generation college students (FGCS) experience a myriad of unique challenges when starting their university education, including perceiving themselves as being socially isolated on campus (Markowitz, 2016; Nazione et al., 2011; Wilkins, 2014), experiencing guilt as they leave behind academically family and friends (Banks-Santilli, 2015; Orbe,…

This qualitative research study explores the experiences of four Latina community college students through focused group discussions, incorporating artifacts and vision galleries to unveil their diverse roles. Shifting perspectives, the research questions inform the design of educational interventions addressing psychological distress, mental…

Current international discourse foregrounds gender parity in education as a means of empowering women in societies with strong adherence to traditional gender norms, such as Pakistan. This discourse contends that women's access to higher education and subsequent employment enables them to identify and reject traditional cultural values and norms.…

In 2018, Nuh, barely 75 km from India's parliament, was ranked by the Government as the country's most 'backward' district. It is a region fraught with many challenges including endemic poverty and simmering communal tensions, which among other factors have contributed to historically limiting women from pursuing higher education or building…

This article explores my process of being emotionally literate, realizing my personal power through this process, and deciding to move ahead with my PhD to explore further my contribution to the flourishing of humanity. In this qualitative reflective self-study, I have used my detailed personal, professional, and academic reflective journal and…

To understand the factors that contribute to men of color graduating from higher education institutions at lower rates than their same-aged peers, the authors conducted a literature review of 70 articles related to the experiences of men of color in higher education. The authors then used the Psychosociocultural (PSC) Framework to capture…

Women's underrepresentation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has been documented worldwide. This study investigated the factors underlying women's underrepresentation in STEM in higher education in Tanzania. The study employed a qualitative research approach that was informed by historical design. Data were collected…

Leeward Community College is committed to supporting Native Hawaiians, the Indigenous people of Hawai?i. It aims to become a "model indigenous-serving" institution (University of Hawai?i, 2012) as part of the University of Hawai?i system's efforts to empower Hawai?i's Indigenous scholars and their communities. This single-site case study…

This qualitative study examines the factors that facilitate or inhibit the academic identity development of four Vietnamese doctoral students in Denmark. Using the combination of Genetic method and Activity theory, the paper provides insights into the participants' experiences of becoming and being an academic, which is context-dependent and…

In the wake of 2020's racial tension and civil unrest in the United States, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) art therapists and graduate students found themselves in need of support from like-minded, social justice-oriented peers. A virtual monthly peer support group called the BIPOC Art Therapists' Circle was formed. A different…

There is a workforce shortage and a huge gender disparity in the cybersecurity profession globally and Saudi Arabia. Enabling women to access these opportunities involves bolstering training and implementing reforms to give women the go-ahead to access these opportunities. With only a paltry 5% of women being in cybersecurity in the Middle East…