Iranian Higher Education
1- PhD candidate in Higher Education Development and Planning, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
2- Associate professor of education, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran. ,y.maroofi@uok.ac.ir
3- Professor of education, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
2- Associate professor of education, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran. ,
3- Professor of education, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
Abstract: (8 Views)
Objective: Given the importance of ethical reflection in the structure of higher education, the present study aimed to understand and explore the lived experiences of faculty members and students regarding the presence or absence of components of compassion in the university environment.
Methodology: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and an multiperspectival interpretive phenomenology. The study population comprised all professors and students at the University of Kurdistan during the 2024-2025 academic year. Using purposive sampling, 19 professors and 22 students were selected (until theoretical saturation was reached). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke's model.
Findings: The research findings were categorized into two main themes: "compassion as the redefinition of power relations in the academic environment" and "compassion as a duality of power". The results revealed a profound difference between the experiences of the two groups. Professors experience their affectionate behavior and compassion through concepts such as professional responsibility, guiding authority, and the imposition of structural pressure. In contrast, students experience the exact same situation as an anxiety-inducing atmosphere, dominating authority, self-interest, and conditional compassion as a tool for submission and control.
Conclusion: The theoretical contribution of this research is the introduction of the critical concept of compassion as an instrument for exercising power in the academic lifeworld. This concept demonstrates how organizational support and care can deviate from a constructive ethical virtue, and within the framework of the academic hierarchy, might transform into a covert method for emotional blackmail, conditional support, and the suppression of students' willpower and autonomy
Methodology: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and an multiperspectival interpretive phenomenology. The study population comprised all professors and students at the University of Kurdistan during the 2024-2025 academic year. Using purposive sampling, 19 professors and 22 students were selected (until theoretical saturation was reached). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke's model.
Findings: The research findings were categorized into two main themes: "compassion as the redefinition of power relations in the academic environment" and "compassion as a duality of power". The results revealed a profound difference between the experiences of the two groups. Professors experience their affectionate behavior and compassion through concepts such as professional responsibility, guiding authority, and the imposition of structural pressure. In contrast, students experience the exact same situation as an anxiety-inducing atmosphere, dominating authority, self-interest, and conditional compassion as a tool for submission and control.
Conclusion: The theoretical contribution of this research is the introduction of the critical concept of compassion as an instrument for exercising power in the academic lifeworld. This concept demonstrates how organizational support and care can deviate from a constructive ethical virtue, and within the framework of the academic hierarchy, might transform into a covert method for emotional blackmail, conditional support, and the suppression of students' willpower and autonomy
Keywords: compassion, higher education, faculty members, students, phenomenology, anxiety-inducing atmosphere
Type of article: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/04/22 | Accepted: 2026/07/1 | ePublished ahead of print: 2026/08/7
Received: 2026/04/22 | Accepted: 2026/07/1 | ePublished ahead of print: 2026/08/7
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