University provision of student support services sits at the interface between universities and the broader community. The success of Australian inclusive education funding imperatives requires a revised model of support to improve access and retention. Using a Foucaultian discourse analysis and the notion of ‘contingency’, data from interviews with ‘student support services’ staff in four Australian universities was interrogated to determine the most accessible and effective services for equity students. This paper introduces the Supporting a Diverse Student Body matrix which sets out principles, strategies and characteristics for supporting the needs of equity students and service access and delivery preferences of diverse student bodies. The matrix provides a useful basis for universities to consider their own student support practices and signpost a pathway for change.
This study examines the multidimensional construct of student agency across four countries, Ireland, Italy, Norway, and the United States. Elementary students across contexts (n = 1,229) completed the Student Agency Profile (StAP) to assess their agency in the classroom with respect to literacy. Confirmatory factor analyses largely aligned with the hypothesized dimensions of agency across sites. Findings from a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis revealed invariance across the four countries suggesting that scores generated by the StAP are able to assess student agency. Discussion highlights the importance of cross-cultural explorations of agency to shed light on how students have a voice in their decision-making when it comes to literacy.