Phenomenology of educational and research inequity experiences of students based on capability approach (case study: a public university in Tehran)

The aim of this study was to identify the existing educational and research inequities against students during university study.

This study is applied research in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of implementation method. Therefore, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used. The population of the study was students of a comprehensive public university in Tehran in the academic year 2019-2020. Twenty students were selected according to the principle of theoretical saturation by purposive and standard sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The content validity of the interview tool was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by the inter-coder reliability method with a coefficient of 78%. Also, Van Kaam’s analysis method was used for data analysis.

The findings showed that educational inequities had eight main themes and 45 sub-themes and research inequities had five main themes and 21 sub-themes. The main themes of educational inequities were teachers' weakness in teaching, lack of seriousness in teaching and learning, low criticism of teachers, unruly student evaluation, undermining student motivation, humiliation of students, non-recognition of student diversity, and limited access to professors. In the field of research, the main themes of inequity were discrimination in doctoral admissibility, restrictions on cooperation with professors, weakness and discrimination in providing scientific guidance, instrumental view to the student, and problems in obtaining the resources needed for research. These inequities are factors that negatively affect the development and strengthening of students' core capabilities, namely respect and dignity; knowledge and imagination; emotional integrity; learning disposition; voice; aspiration; practical reasoning; and relationships and social networks.

Workshops for professors on the subject of educational and research equity, increasing the diversity of professors and the educational content in accordance with the differences of students, paying attention to students' opinions on various university issues, and addressing their objections, are some of the strategies to address existing inequities.