“I can’t bear sitting in this class”: exploring Iranian undergraduate female student experiences of their college classrooms

Abstract

The college classroom is the main setting of higher education institutions, wherein students get unique opportunities to learn and form new relationships and experiences. This study aimed to provide a qualitative description of female students’ experiences of college classrooms. The participants were 28 undergraduate female students who were purposively selected from a public university in Iran. Content analysis was utilized to analyze the semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the student’s experiences revealed four main themes: “relational disruption,” “non-effective professors,” “challenging courses and learning,” and “classrooms as non-place.” The results also indicated a need to re-define and re-structure the college classrooms to meet the changing expectations, values, motivations, and preferences of the students. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of the study for policy, practice, and future research. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.