Although there has been much research into why young people choose whether to participate in higher education (HE), there has been far less insight into why they may choose perceived lower status institutions, even though approximately 10% of students attend HE courses in further education (FE) colleges in UK. Students from backgrounds not traditionally associated with HE participation are much more likely to attend such institutions. Explanations for this pattern of participation look to 'barriers to participation' such as academic ability, costs or identity which problematise the students' attitudes to debt and HE. This research is based on interviews with 15 students who were studying HE qualifications at a further education college in England. It finds that although the barriers to participation have an effect, many students are making strategic and even rational decisions to attend the perceived lower status institutions. Their decisions suggest that there needs to be greater recognition of the differing role that HE plays in individual life plans and greater variety in what is on offer.
{"title":"An examination of the factors influencing students' decisions to study higher education courses in further education colleges in the UK","authors":"Glynn Jones","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"Although there has been much research into why young people choose whether to participate in higher education (HE), there has been far less insight into why they may choose perceived lower status institutions, even though approximately 10% of students attend HE courses in further education\u0000 (FE) colleges in UK. Students from backgrounds not traditionally associated with HE participation are much more likely to attend such institutions. Explanations for this pattern of participation look to 'barriers to participation' such as academic ability, costs or identity which problematise\u0000 the students' attitudes to debt and HE. This research is based on interviews with 15 students who were studying HE qualifications at a further education college in England. It finds that although the barriers to participation have an effect, many students are making strategic and even rational\u0000 decisions to attend the perceived lower status institutions. Their decisions suggest that there needs to be greater recognition of the differing role that HE plays in individual life plans and greater variety in what is on offer.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"27 1","pages":"6-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73268955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ingrid Bale, S. Broadhead, Kariim Case, Mahmuna Hussain, D. Woolley
A ‘Community of Inquiry’ approach was used to explore the black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) student experience in a university situated in the north of England. Research facilitators were recruited from the postgraduate student population to explore with participants their experiences of learning in the institution. It was found that some of the white academic staff were not confident in talking about issues to do with race and racism. It was also discovered that students from BAME backgrounds may be experiencing isolation in their accommodation and on their courses, while at the same time feeling they needed to ‘overperform’ in order to succeed. The cumulative effect of this could lead to students’ dissatisfaction and the non-continuation of their courses. The Community of Inquiry was effective in identifying possible strategies for improving the student experience.
{"title":"Exploring the black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) student experience using a Community of Inquiry approach","authors":"Ingrid Bale, S. Broadhead, Kariim Case, Mahmuna Hussain, D. Woolley","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.112","url":null,"abstract":"A ‘Community of Inquiry’ approach was used to explore the black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) student experience in a university situated in the north of England. Research facilitators were recruited from the postgraduate student population to explore with participants their experiences of learning in the institution. It was found that some of the white academic staff were not confident in talking about issues to do with race and racism. It was also discovered that students from BAME backgrounds may be experiencing isolation in their accommodation and on their courses, while at the same time feeling they needed to ‘overperform’ in order to succeed. The cumulative effect of this could lead to students’ dissatisfaction and the non-continuation of their courses. The Community of Inquiry was effective in identifying possible strategies for improving the student experience.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"12 1","pages":"112-131"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79656298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The recognition that increased numbers of students from diverse backgrounds accessing higher education (HE) is juxtaposed with increased numbers of students withdrawing from their studies (Pope, Ladwa and Hayes, 2017), has highlighted an increased need to explore specific support strategies post enrolment. Such ambition has more recently been reaffirmed by the Office for Students (OfS), who have emphasised the need for new approaches pertaining to access, participation and success since being established in 2018. This paper presents an institutional case study focusing on a transformative approach to access and engagement for students in HE. The initial part of this paper provides an outline of the specific approaches adopted by the case study institution, set against a theoretical backdrop of habitus and cultural capital. The second part of this paper discusses the findings from a small-scale research project emanating from a framework method analysis on student forum records over a five year period. Results illuminated the importance of varied and engaging teaching practices, tutor accessibility and the important role that the virtual learning environment can have on supporting students and enhancing habitus and cultural capital.
{"title":"An institutional case study of a transformative approach to access and engagement for widening participation in higher education","authors":"A. Aylmer","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.132","url":null,"abstract":"The recognition that increased numbers of students from diverse backgrounds accessing higher education (HE) is juxtaposed with increased numbers of students withdrawing from their studies (Pope, Ladwa and Hayes, 2017), has highlighted an increased need to explore specific support strategies\u0000 post enrolment. Such ambition has more recently been reaffirmed by the Office for Students (OfS), who have emphasised the need for new approaches pertaining to access, participation and success since being established in 2018. This paper presents an institutional case study focusing on a transformative\u0000 approach to access and engagement for students in HE. The initial part of this paper provides an outline of the specific approaches adopted by the case study institution, set against a theoretical backdrop of habitus and cultural capital. The second part of this paper discusses the findings\u0000 from a small-scale research project emanating from a framework method analysis on student forum records over a five year period. Results illuminated the importance of varied and engaging teaching practices, tutor accessibility and the important role that the virtual learning environment can\u0000 have on supporting students and enhancing habitus and cultural capital.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"38 1","pages":"132-145"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74568705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Higher educational institutions (HEIs) often categorise certain students as 'disabled' in order to support inclusive and equitable study. 'Disabled' students studying in higher education may be asked to 'disclose a disability', request and agree 'reasonable adjustments' that their institution will 'provide' them, and engage with processes such as applying for 'Disabled Students' Allowance'. However, there is little understanding of preferences and comfort with language in this area, and if students do not i dentify with terms such as 'disabled', this can create barriers to requesting or accessing support. This paper describes a qualitative study to investigate language preferences for common points of communication with the HEI. We held interviews and focus groups with students (n=12) and utilised discourse analysis to investigate the language used and student perceptions of language. We identified three distinct models of language used to discuss study needs relating to a 'disability', each with language nor ms and specific nomenclature. Furthermore, we found divergence in preferences in language, leading us to argue that differential and inclusive approaches to language use should be explored.
{"title":"Learning needs, barriers, differences and study requirements: How students identify as 'disabled' in higher education","authors":"K. Lister, Tim Coughlan, N. Owen","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.95","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.95","url":null,"abstract":"Higher educational institutions (HEIs) often categorise certain students as 'disabled' in order to support inclusive and equitable study. 'Disabled' students studying in higher education may be asked to 'disclose a disability', request and agree 'reasonable adjustments' that their institution\u0000 will 'provide' them, and engage with processes such as applying for 'Disabled Students' Allowance'. However, there is little understanding of preferences and comfort with language in this area, and if students do not i dentify with terms such as 'disabled', this can create barriers to requesting\u0000 or accessing support. This paper describes a qualitative study to investigate language preferences for common points of communication with the HEI. We held interviews and focus groups with students (n=12) and utilised discourse analysis to investigate the language used and student perceptions\u0000 of language. We identified three distinct models of language used to discuss study needs relating to a 'disability', each with language nor ms and specific nomenclature. Furthermore, we found divergence in preferences in language, leading us to argue that differential and inclusive approaches\u0000 to language use should be explored.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"19 2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81050560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper commences from a critique of the generalised discourse of individualistic capacities in widening participation to higher education. It examines the potential of digital stories to diversify understandings of progression to higher education as a reflexive learning process for participants and institutions alike, by considering one cohort of students participating in a digital storytelling award at a university in the North of England. The concepts of narrative imagination, narrative learning and reflective referentiality are utilised to advance a theoretically informed argument for the potential of this methodology, given the position set out in the paper that the impact of digital stories such as these is unlikely to be transparent or easily measurable in the positivist language of much widening participation practice. The digital storytelling methodology invites a more nuanced consideration of student voice than usually pertains in widening participation, with potential to diversify a reductive discourse of under-represented groups.
{"title":"Diversifying the discourse of progression to higher education: Digital storytelling methodology in widening participation practice","authors":"L. M. Smith","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.79","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.79","url":null,"abstract":"This paper commences from a critique of the generalised discourse of individualistic capacities in widening participation to higher education. It examines the potential of digital stories to diversify understandings of progression to higher education as a reflexive learning process\u0000 for participants and institutions alike, by considering one cohort of students participating in a digital storytelling award at a university in the North of England. The concepts of narrative imagination, narrative learning and reflective referentiality are utilised to advance a theoretically\u0000 informed argument for the potential of this methodology, given the position set out in the paper that the impact of digital stories such as these is unlikely to be transparent or easily measurable in the positivist language of much widening participation practice. The digital storytelling\u0000 methodology invites a more nuanced consideration of student voice than usually pertains in widening participation, with potential to diversify a reductive discourse of under-represented groups.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"12 1","pages":"79-94"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87908986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In England and Wales, the introduction of £9,250 Higher Education tuition fees and concern more broadly about social mobility has led to the creation of a series of initiatives aimed at Widening Participation. Increasingly, critics argue that these initiatives have failed to achieve genuine representativeness, with lower ranked universities absorbing higher numbers of students from under-represented groups, who then face additional challenges in securing progression to employment. In this article, we examine dominant narratives Widening Participation programmes in England and Wales in order to assert means of widening more effectively access, in the first instance, but also retention and progression. Rejecting non-subject-specific instrumental approaches that focus directly on graduate labour market value and earnings, we argue that effective Widening Participation ought to focus centrally on the institutional value of Higher Education and on fostering social capital, especially in lower ranked universities whose graduates are already discriminated against in the labour market. To this end, we evaluate deployment of a Politics-based Widening Participation programme, Rethinking Disadvantage, asserting a set of conclusions for colleagues in other disciplines and institutions seeking to develop their own approaches.
{"title":"Rethinking disadvantage: A social capital approach to widening participation","authors":"M. Johnson, Gareth Bowden, Guillermo V. Alonso","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.55","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.55","url":null,"abstract":"In England and Wales, the introduction of £9,250 Higher Education tuition fees and concern more broadly about social mobility has led to the creation of a series of initiatives aimed at Widening Participation. Increasingly, critics argue that these initiatives have failed to achieve genuine representativeness, with lower ranked universities absorbing higher numbers of students from under-represented groups, who then face additional challenges in securing progression to employment. In this article, we examine dominant narratives Widening Participation programmes in England and Wales in order to assert means of widening more effectively access, in the first instance, but also retention and progression. Rejecting non-subject-specific instrumental approaches that focus directly on graduate labour market value and earnings, we argue that effective Widening Participation ought to focus centrally on the institutional value of Higher Education and on fostering social capital, especially in lower ranked universities whose graduates are already discriminated against in the labour market. To this end, we evaluate deployment of a Politics-based Widening Participation programme, Rethinking Disadvantage, asserting a set of conclusions for colleagues in other disciplines and institutions seeking to develop their own approaches.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"82 1","pages":"55-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85535256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Higher education (HE) in the UK, as in other parts of the world, is now big business, with revenues measured in the many ?billions annually. Organisational and cultural changes that have accompanied this 'new world' for HE represent the rise of a 'business model' of the university that is far more engaged with income generation than in the even relatively recent past. However, while increases in tuition fees have not put off young people from applying for and taking up university places, mature student recruitment has dropped precipitously. Alongside this, commitments to community and lifelong models of learning have fared badly. Continuing education services, for example, are not well positioned to contribute significantly to their host universities' income streams. The trends accompanying these changes have also affected notions of skills acquisition and even how 'learning' itself is conceptualised. This paper briefly considers the historical trajectory of continuing education as well as potential strategies that might be mobilised to make its position in the modern university more secure.
{"title":"'Holding the door open' for continuing education in the UK: Strategies for survival until its time comes again.","authors":"M. O’Brien","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.146","url":null,"abstract":"Higher education (HE) in the UK, as in other parts of the world, is now big business, with revenues measured in the many ?billions annually. Organisational and cultural changes that have accompanied this 'new world' for HE represent the rise of a 'business model' of the university that is far more engaged with income generation than in the even relatively recent past. However, while increases in tuition fees have not put off young people from applying for and taking up university places, mature student recruitment has dropped precipitously. Alongside this, commitments to community and lifelong models of learning have fared badly. Continuing education services, for example, are not well positioned to contribute significantly to their host universities' income streams. The trends accompanying these changes have also affected notions of skills acquisition and even how 'learning' itself is conceptualised. This paper briefly considers the historical trajectory of continuing education as well as potential strategies that might be mobilised to make its position in the modern university more secure.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"29 1","pages":"146-157"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83719162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Heaslip, M. Hutchings, B. Collins, Emma J. Crowley, S. Eccles, Clive Hunt, R. Tooth, A. Wardrop
Efforts to widen participation into higher education (HE) are having an impact with increasing numbers of diverse students accessing HE. Outreach is a key strategy within widening participation (WP), yet there has been little peer reviewed, published evidence regarding how outreach is identified, situated and understood. This paper addresses this gap, presenting a systematic review of published research examining how the impact of WP outreach is identified and understood in UK research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist was used to frame the review and empirical studies focusing upon outreach (2005 – 15) were included. Papers excluded were focused on international, part-time students or those not focused upon WP outreach. Twenty-six papers were identified for inclusion and these were analysed thematically. The analysis identified themes of person-centred impact, raising aspirations, and social capital, addressing 'how and why' questions rather than the 'what works' question judged by the impact of outreach on student numbers. Doing so can enable improvements in the design of outreach activities addressing individual experiences alongside structural barriers. Ultimately, this analysis suggests there is insufficient systematic evidence regarding the impact of outreach on the underlying structural factors shaping access to higher education.
{"title":"Situating the evidence for impact of outreach strategies: A systematic review for improving access to higher education","authors":"V. Heaslip, M. Hutchings, B. Collins, Emma J. Crowley, S. Eccles, Clive Hunt, R. Tooth, A. Wardrop","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.25","url":null,"abstract":"Efforts to widen participation into higher education (HE) are having an impact with increasing numbers of diverse students accessing HE. Outreach is a key strategy within widening participation (WP), yet there has been little peer reviewed, published evidence regarding how outreach\u0000 is identified, situated and understood. This paper addresses this gap, presenting a systematic review of published research examining how the impact of WP outreach is identified and understood in UK research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist\u0000 was used to frame the review and empirical studies focusing upon outreach (2005 – 15) were included. Papers excluded were focused on international, part-time students or those not focused upon WP outreach. Twenty-six papers were identified for inclusion and these were analysed thematically.\u0000 The analysis identified themes of person-centred impact, raising aspirations, and social capital, addressing 'how and why' questions rather than the 'what works' question judged by the impact of outreach on student numbers. Doing so can enable improvements in the design of outreach activities\u0000 addressing individual experiences alongside structural barriers. Ultimately, this analysis suggests there is insufficient systematic evidence regarding the impact of outreach on the underlying structural factors shaping access to higher education.","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82754296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Access to Success and Social Mobility Through Higher Education: A Curate's Egg? Billingham, S. (ed)","authors":"K. Bridger","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.158","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.158","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"PP 1","pages":"158-165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84343451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Who are Universities for? Re-making Higher Education by Sperlinger, T., McLellan, J. & Pettigrew, R.","authors":"J. Butcher","doi":"10.5456/wpll.22.1.172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.22.1.172","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":90763,"journal":{"name":"Widening participation and lifelong learning : the journal of the Institute for Access Studies and the European Access Network","volume":"54 1","pages":"172-177"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91252263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：