Conceptions of Higher Education as a Public Good in Print Media

• In Event: Democratic Purpose of Higher Education in the Context of Neoliberalism

Abstract

This study employs directed content analysis to examine how the concept of “higher education as a public good” has been depicted in U.S. print media from 2014 to the present. The study proposed three conceptual containers for which media coverage might frame the “public good” in higher education: Classical Economic Liberalism, Progressive Liberalism, and Theological- Humanities Traditions. These predetermined categories fit the data although they were imbalanced and insufficient as full classifications. Instead, new sub-categories emerged reflecting nuanced conceptions of the public good that departed from predetermined constructs. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Authors

• David J. Weerts, University of Minnesota

• Kayla Lyftogt, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities