Variations on a theme: Institutional interpretations of wha - PowerPoint Presentation

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Variations on a theme: Institutional interpretations of what it means to widen access and success

Jon

R

ainford,

S

taffordshire University

@

j

onrainfordSlide2

Research QuestionsWhat, if any, differences are there in the discourses used within Access Agreements between

pre-1992

and

post-1992 universities?

To what extent

d

o

which Access Agreements mirror the experience and work carried out by widening participation

practitioners?

What similarities

and

differences are there

in the experiences of widening participation practitioners working within

pre-1992

and post-1992

institutions?

What are the

motivations and reasons that practitioners choose to undertake widening participation

work?

How do widening participation

practitioners reconcile institutional and national policy with their individual beliefs and

values

?Slide3

Sample and methodologyTen institutions

Five towns and cities in England

Matched pairs of pre-1992 / post-1992 institutions

2 stage project

Phase 1: Discourse Analysis

Phase 2: Interviews with widening participation practitioners and managers

Riverton

Weston

Middleton

Overton

NortonSlide4

Emerging

Themes

Investment

or

Expenditure?

Targeting

and

‘Potential’

Aspiration

or

Attainment

Legitimation

and the

role of

evidence

Who are

the

Benchmarks?

Working

Together:

With whom

and for what?

Moving

Beyond HE

and

Employability Slide5

Who ‘deserves’ to benefit?all those with the potential to benefit from higher education have equal opportunity to participate and succeed, on a course and in an institution that best fit their potential, needs and ambitions for employment or further study (HEFCE and OFFA, 2014

)

Targeting

and

‘Potential’

“Most-able disadvantaged”

Old Norton

“The brightest young people”

Old RivertonSlide6

Investment or Expenditure?

Old (Pre-1992)

New (Post-1992)

Riverton

c.30%

15%

Weston

Not detailed

18%

Norton

40.6%

20.5%

Overton

32-33%

35%

Middleton

30%

15%

Additional fee income

Investment

or

Expenditure?Slide7

Widening participation as a field

Benchmarks and what matters

Doing well – Locally, nationally or better than other ‘elites’?

Collaboration

Collaborating in a marketised environment

Beyond institutions into the ‘third sector’ – Challenges and opportunities

Who are

the

Benchmarks?

Working

Together:

With whom

&

for what?

We are proud of our strong outreach and retention record that has been built up over a long period of time, and which places us in the vanguard of the Russell Group.

-

Old MiddletonSlide8

Who has ‘potential’?

Low household

income –

defined differently between institutions anywhere between £16,000 and £42,600

Care Leavers, Young

Carers

, Disability, BME etc.

Low participation neighbourhoods (POLAR 3)

Missing demographics:

Part-timeWhite Working Class

Targeting and

‘Potential’Slide9

We need to talk about Aspiration

…

All of the institutions mention raising aspirations at least once

No evidence of ‘low aspirations’

Some more than others – figures?

Aspirations of current students

It is no longer just enough to aspire to university

Professions as a pinnacle?

Aspiration

or

Attainment

Moving

Beyond HE

and

Employability Slide10

Who decides what works?

The role of research and evaluation

Internal justification or rigorous evidence

?

Lack of skills?

Lack of desire to question Status Quo?

Legitimation

and the

role of

evidenceSlide11

ConclusionsThere are significant differences in practices

Needs and challenges facing disadvantaged students still seem poorly understood in some places. Are we really still ‘raising aspirations’?

Often legitimated through institutionally led evidence opposed to national research

What is said only offers a partial picture

Texts as a site of negotiation

The messiness of practice

Phase 2: Interviews with WP practitioners to explore how policy resonates with practiceSlide12

ReferencesAhmed, S. (2007) '‘You end up doing the document rather than doing the doing’: Diversity, race equality and the politics of documentation',

Ethnic and Racial Studies

,

30(4), pp. 590-609.

Archer, L., DeWitt, J. and Wong, B. (2014) 'Spheres of influence: What shapes young people’s aspirations at age 12/13 and what are the implications for education policy?',

Journal of Education Policy

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england: Do they safeguard and promote fair access?', Oxford Review of Education, 36(1), pp. 45-62.Davey, G. (2012) 'Using bourdieu’s

concept of doxa to illuminate classed practices in an english fee-paying school', British Journal of Sociology of Education, 33(4), pp. 507-525.

Fairclough, N. (2003) Analysing discourse. Abingdon: Routledge.Graham, C. (2011) 'Balancing national versus local priorities: Analysing ‘local’ responses to the national widening participation agenda in six case study heis',

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,

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Harrison, N. and

Hatt

, S. (2012) 'Expensive and failing? The role of student bursaries in widening participation and fair access in

england

', Studies in Higher Education

, 37(6), pp. 695-712.Harrison, N. and Waller, R. 'The aspirations-expectations-attainment nexus in widening participation', British Sociological Assocation, Birmingham, 6th April 2016.HEFCE and OFFA (2014) National strategy for access and student success

, London: Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access.Hutchings, M. and Archer, L. (2001) ''Higher than einstein': Constructions of going to university among working-class non-participants', Research Papers in Education, 16(1), pp. 69-91.McCaig

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McCaig, C. and Adnett, N. (2009) 'English universities, additional fee income and access agreements: Their impact on widening participation and fair access', British Journal of Educational Studies, 57(1), pp. 18-36.Mian

, E. and Richards, B. (2016) 'Widening participation in higher education'. Available at: http://www.smf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Social-Market-Foundation-Widening-Participation-HE-data-pack-FINALv2.pdf (Accessed 29th March 2016).Rainford, J. (2016) 'Targeting of widening participation measures by elite institutions: Widening access or simply aiding recruitment?', Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, pp. 1-6.

St. Clair, R., Kintrea, K. and Houston, M. 2013. Silver bullet or red herring?: New evidence on the place of aspirations in education. Abingdon: Taylor and Francis.Slide13

Any questions?jon.rainford@reseach.staffs.ac.uk

Twitter: @

jonrainford