Women in Higher Education in the Freely Associated States

Doctoral Research Study

Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Status: Currently collecting data

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The Basics

Study Title: Socioeconomic Status (SES), Motivations and Barriers to Higher Education, and the Academic Achievements of Women Attending Postsecondary Institutions in the Freely Associated States (FAS).

Key Terms: Gender equality, low-middle income countries (LMICs), the Compact of Free Association (COFA), geopolitics post-WWII, world-systems theory, social determinants of health (SDOH), capitalist world-system

Purpose of the Study: To determine if there is a relationship between SES, perceptions of motivations and barriers to postsecondary education, and the academic achievements of women who are seeking a degree or certification from institutions in Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).

Theoretical Framework: The study is grounded in Immanuel Wallerstein's (1974) world-systems theory.

Research Question: Is there a statistically significant relationship between socioeconomic status, perceived motivations to higher education, and perceived barriers to higher education on the academic achievement of women in postsecondary institutions in the FAS?

Methodology: Quantitative, cross-sectional, survey design

Independent and Dependent Variables

First IV: SES

Second IV: Perceptions of Motivations to Higher Education

Third IV: Perceptions of Barriers to Higher Education

DV: Academic Achievement as measured by GPA

Data Collection Process

Self-reporting questionnaires

Instrument

Survey using Question #10 and Sections 2 and 3 of the Motivations and Barriers to Higher Education for Online Learners Questionnaire (Kimmel et al., 2012).

Analysis

Multiple linear regression using SPSS Software

Participant Requirements

• Adult women (18+)

• Attending Palau Community College (PCC), or the College of Micronesia (COM), or the College of the Marshall Islands (CMI)

• Pursuing an academic degree or professional certification

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