1st Edition

Understanding Wellbeing in Higher Education of the Global South Contextually Sensitive and Culturally Responsive Perspectives

    190 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    190 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This edited book gives voice to previously unheard narratives on wellbeing in higher education and provides novel implications for higher education policy and practice.

    Offering contextually sensitive and culturally responsive perspectives, the book problematizes wellbeing in higher education as it is currently theorized in the Global North, bringing to the fore perspectives and multi-disciplinary insights from the Global South region. Chapters present an alternative conceptualization of wellbeing in higher education based on stories, perceptions, and experiences of university students, faculty, and leaders from the Global South region, challenging a reductionist view of wellbeing and embracing its complexity, multi-dimensionality and context-sensitivity. The authors present an alternative non-Western approach to thinking, researching, and doing wellbeing in higher education, offering clear guidelines to support teachers, educational researchers, and leaders in fostering a more holistic teaching and learning experience.

    This volume will stimulate policy development and enactment, as well as university-wide interventions and practices that can make a difference in the lives of students in higher education.

    1. Introduction

    Youmen Chaaban

    2. Wellbeing odyssey: Integrating Afrofuturist theory with academic literacy

    Oscar Eybers

    3.  Exploring wellbeing in the Arab higher education context: A scoping review

    Igor Michaleczek, Weam Ibrahim, and Youmen Chaaban

    4. Student wellbeing in the Pacific Islands: Challenges and opportunities for enhancing academic success

    Annie Crookes

    5. The science of wellbeing and success in higher education: Applying positive psychology and PERMA+4 across cultures

    Stewart I. Donaldson and Jana Koci

    6. University students’ wellbeing: Diversity across contexts

    Noor Al-Wattary, Hessa Al-Thani, and Aisha Al-Ahmadi

    7. Students’ wellbeing in online and blended Arabic as second and heritage language courses: Challenges and suggested solutions

    Mohamed Mahgoub, Hani Fazza, and Martibe Elie

    8. Beyond borders: Understanding wellbeing in higher education through culturally appropriate measures

    Herdiyan Maulana and Gumgum Gumelar

    9. Challenges to wellbeing of faculty and leaders in higher education in the Gulf Cooperation Council

    Rita W. El-Haddad and Stavros P. Hadjisolomou

    10. Conclusion

    Abdellatif Sellemi and Igor Michaleczek

    Biography

    Youmen Chaaban is a Research Associate Professor at the Educational Research Centre, College of Education, Qatar University, Qatar.

    Abdellatif Sellami is a Director of the Educational Research Centre, College of Education, Qatar University, Qatar.

    Igor Michaleczek is a Research Assistant in the Educational Research Centre, College of Education, Qatar University, and a PhD student at the University of Dundee, UK.

    This is a groundbreaking book in the series “Wellbeing and Self-care in Higher Education: Embracing Positive Solutions” that delves into the crucial yet often overlooked topic the contextually sensitive and culturally responsive approaches to wellbeing and self-care in higher education, with a specific focus on the unique challenges and opportunities present in the Global South. This book is a timely and much-needed contribution to the field, as it sheds light on the diverse experiences and perspectives of students, faculty, and staff in non-Western contexts, challenging the assumptions and norms that have long dominated the discourse on wellbeing in higher education.

    Professor Narelle Lemon, series editor, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia