Weaving Feminist Pedagogy Principles with International Student Experiences in Canadian College Economics Courses

Feminist pedagogy, grounded in feminist theory and critical pedagogy, aims to problematize power inequalities and promote justice, thereby guiding our pedagogical practices. Educators in the field seek an equitable education that honours experiential knowledge while empowering and liberating marginalized groups. Traditionally, feminist scholars have focused on political goals; however, their application in peer-reviewed journals is sparse. This paper advocates actionable strategies for implementing feminist pedagogy, particularly in traditionally male-dominated fields such as economics. With an emphasis on adult learners in Canadian polytechnic economics courses, we begin with a literature review of feminist pedagogy in practice. This quantitative study then examines the effectiveness of feminist pedagogical techniques through the experiences of adult learners (N = 108), particularly international students, who comprised 92.5% of participants. The findings reveal three key themes: fostering community, sharing power between students and teachers, and promoting care, which align with the core principles of feminist pedagogy. Power-sharing significantly predicts students' growth mindset, while a strong sense of community predicts future self-efficacy. Surprisingly, fostering understanding of care is associated with lower stress but not increased motivation, prompting us to integrate and test other motivating practices. Key practices for building community include honouring students' prior knowledge and creating a welcoming environment. Interestingly, teacher-specific qualities have a greater impact on students' interest in economics than the teaching techniques themselves. Overall, this study elucidates the transformative potential of feminist pedagogy in post-secondary economics education by exploring best practices needed to create inclusive, empowering education for adult learners.