What Makes Higher Education’s Diversity Advantageous? Reflections from Literature Review
Author : Easaw Alemayehu Assefa
Abstract :
Diversity refers to persons with a variety of viewpoints, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, professional backgrounds, heritage, and life experiences. There are several empirical research on higher education diversity, however there is little on literature review. The goal of this brief literature review was, therefore, to figure out what makes higher education's diversity advantageous in the global higher education system. A contextual discourse analysis was used to materialize the study. To this effect, a review and reflection were used to discuss the global current state of higher education diversity and its problems, the benefits of teaching and using diversity in higher education, as well as the barriers to doing so. It also posed two questions as a topic (i.e., is it necessary for higher education to value diversity? What role does higher education play in promoting diversity?). Finally, the findings of the evaluated studies demonstrated that, while there are basic challenges with higher education diversity, the diversity that exists at universities is highly beneficial, since knowledge development and transfer are at the core of the institution`s heterogeneity. This article makes a call for the global higher education to do more, or at the very least be more proactive, in diversifying its staff and student body, as well as establishing an atmosphere that encourages such diversity by considering the advantages mentioned. A complete empirical study focused on diversity management in a specific higher education institution is also recommended.
Keywords :
Advantages, Diversity, Higher Education
