Laura Parson
University of North Dakota
Donna K. Pearson
University of North Dakota
This study sought to understand the relationship between blogging and higher education, specifically asking if blogging enriches academic experiences and empowers undergraduate female students in the United States. Through semistructured interviews, blog content, and blog observations, I explored female bloggers’ experiences as bloggers and participants in higher education. Using a qualitative approach to data analysis, the data indicated that for study participants there was a positive relationship between blogging and perceptions of academic performance and participation in higher education. In addition, blogging was empowering because blogs represent a space where participants are accepted as authorities and valid constructors of knowledge and because it provided an opportunity for women to have a voice in the classroom.