Feminism and Feminist Pedagogy in Two Helping Professions

Abstract

In the past century there has been a significant amount of literature regarding the waves of feminism and the advancement of womxn in higher education. In addition to the waves of feminism and womxn’s influence on higher education, there has also been a thorough recounting of the history of academic advising. However, despite all three of these areas being studied in great detail, the connections between all three has not yet been explored in the literature. This dissertation explored feminism and feminist pedagogy in two helping professions though (a) an examination of the use of feminist pedagogy existing literature in nursing, and (b) the lived experience of female primary-role academic advisors. These findings then shaped a model of feminist academic advising grounded by feminist pedagogy. This dissertation was guided by the following research questions: How do scholars discuss feminist pedagogy in nursing, an exemplary helping profession? How do female primary-role advisors who identify as womxn and feminists express feminist identity in the academic advising workplace? This dissertation consists of three related papers. Paper #1, a structured literature review, explored the available literature of the use of feminist pedagogy in an exemplary helping profession, nursing. Articles from were pulled from Nursing Allied Health and Google Scholar under the designators of including “feminist pedagog*” in nursing and written in English to include articles that used the term feminist pedagogy and feminist pedagogies. After a 5-phase protocol, 12 articles were accepted into the final sample. Three themes emerged: classroom climate, curriculum design, and care versus cure. The implications for the field were: the need of feminist pedagogy in the education of nurses due to the hierarchical nature of medical fields, the need for nurses to be prepared to fight against the policies in healthcare that oppress certain populations, and the importance of feminist pedagogy in nursing for the education of all gender identities. Paper #2, a phenomenology, explored how primary-role advisors who identify as womxn and feminists describe the role feminism plays in their advising practice. This study explored the use of feminism in the practice of 22 participants. Data was collected through three semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: mindfulness of physical space as a cornerstone for comfort, power of communication in forging meaningful connection and relationships, and empowering students to make their own decisions. There were three implications for this research: the focus on the experience of the academic advisor themselves, the impact personal identity has on advising practice, and how feminism can impact academic advising as a field. In Paper # 3, I introduce a new approach to academic advising incorporating feminist pedagogy with seven tenets: the positionality of the advisor, relationship-centered approach, mindful of power dynamics, intentionality of physical space, social justice and advocacy, a holistic understanding, and resilience and community building. The adoption of a feminist model in academic advising promises a transformative shift within the educational landscape, poised to redefine interactions between advisors and students, the institutional approach to student support, and the broader scholarly understanding of advising practices. Collectively, the papers from this dissertation suggest four important overarching themes: an emphasis on inclusive and welcoming environments, challenging traditional power dynamics, integrating personal experiences and social justice, and a holistic approach to education and advising. These findings have important implications for the profession of academic advising in the available research that advisors and institutions can use as a basis for new advising approaches. Additionally, this dissertation will introduce new ways to increase social justice, advocacy, and inclusion, and use other helping professions as examples of how to incorporate new and potentially innovative ideas into advising practice.