Hearing different voices, seeking common ground
Date
1996
Authors
Harvey, Carol Marie
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Abstract
Research in adult and distance education has indicated that women's participation remains problematic, particularly in countries where women are generally under-represented in post-secondary education. An example is the Indonesian Open University (Universitas Terbuka), where, in fact, women constitute approximately 20% of the overall student population. The central focus of the present cross-cultural inquiry is, therefore, hearing the voices of women students of Universitas Terbuka and seeking common ground with their experiences. This inquiry was conducted at a number of regional centers of Universitas Terbuka. The methodology of this inquiry was qualitative in nature, consisting of both semi-structured interviews with women students and reflective journalling by the researcher. The stories of the women students are interwoven with the story of the researcher conducting this inquiry. This produced a series of narratives of the lived experiences of both researcher and researched.