"Education as a Pathway to Liberation": Graduate Students of Color and the Purposes of Education

Abstract While public and private perceptions over the purpose and value of education have long existed, ongoing politicized attacks on higher education have given new consequences to these tensions. Although literature has examined varying undergraduate student perceptions of education, less has been written about graduate populations. Thus, guided by Labaree’s framework on education’s competing goals, we explore how graduate student perceptions of education (mis)align with such ideals. This exploratory study draws from semi-structured interviews with 48 students from postsecondary institutions across the United States. Their narratives highlight four prominent findings: connecting with and contributing to society, the convergence of financial gain and altruistic ideals, social efficiency perspectives, and critical thinking and pursuit of self-knowledge. We conclude by recommending an expansion of Labaree’s framework, more research connecting perceptions of the purposes of education and students’ programs and social identities, and the importance of developing critical thinking skills in higher education.