Steel Magnolias in Higher Ed: How Perceptions of American Southern Culture Affected the Higher Education Experiences of Rural Southern Women Master’s Graduates

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Department

Higher Edu and Learning Technology

Date of Award

Fall 2024

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how perceptions of American Southern culture affected the higher education experiences of rural Southern women master’s graduates. Despite the expanding opportunities of higher education in a post-2020 world, students originating from rural communities often face unique challenges, with women from the Southern region confronting a distinctive set of obstacles than their counterparts from different parts of the country. Drawing upon a mixed-methods approach using surveys, interviews, and journals, this study explored the experiences and outcomes of rural women graduate students who pursued advanced degrees. The findings suggested that certain aspects of Southern culture posed significant challenges for female students from the region, specifically entrenched gender norms, the South’s unhealthy obsession with nostalgia, restrictive doctrine influence of Evangelical Christianity and the oppressive influence of far-right political ideologies. By shedding light on these multifaceted challenges, this research augmented the existing literature and underscored the urgent need to address these issues, particularly in the backdrop of an increasingly polarized climate enveloping the United States.

Advisor

Dimitra Smith

Subject Categories

Education | Educational Psychology

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