Three dimensions of equity of access to higher education

Concerns over equity of access to higher education are widespread, but there is significant disagreement over what should constitute a fair system. This article assesses diverse conceptualisations of equity and explores the ways in which they embody themselves in the policies of three systems, those of England, Brazil and Kenya. While showing significant disparities of income level and enrolment ratio, all three have made concerted efforts to expand higher education access, accompanied by increasing stratification in terms of the quality and prestige of institutions. Analysis of policy options and outcomes leads to a proposal of three principles for understanding equity of access: availability, accessibility and horizontality. The third of these principles addresses the little-acknowledged safeguard that disadvantaged students should not be confined to lower-quality institutions, while at the same time allowing for diversity of ethos and disciplinary focus.     

Trends in private higher education in Australia

The last decade has witnessed a significant growth of private higher education around the world. The growth included the number of private education providers, and also the growing number of students. While some countries are experiencing trend growth, others are witnessing decline. Some of the reasons for the decline include increased regulation and stringent accreditation and reaccreditation of higher education institutions and courses, government policies to encourage the growth of public universities, and acquisition of small providers by large private education institutions. The growth of private higher education has increased competition, and it has also established collaboration with public institutions. The growth of private higher education has also raised concerns about ethical governance, maintenance of academic standards, and mechanisms to plan, review, and improve educational outcomes. This paper focuses on Australia where despite growth, there is limited research about private higher education. This paper reviews literature on the global growth and decline of private higher education. It then analyses the trends in Australia and possible scenarios for the future of private higher education in the country.     

Widening participation in higher education with a view to implementing institutional change

In this research informed perspective, I discuss some of the barriers students face during progression to higher education. A crucial role can be played by higher education institutions (HEIs) and other public bodies. I discuss some of the measures taken and critically evaluate these to show how these can be improved. In the absence of a centralised admission system and autonomy exercised by HEIs, it is not clear yet how these targets will be achieved. HEFCE and OFFA play a vital role, but there is further scope towards addressing equality and diversity. This paper discusses some of the ways forward.     

Expansion and equity in Australian higher education: three propositions for new relations

This article outlines three broad propositions for student equity in Australian higher education (HE), arising from the Australian Government's recent policy announcement to expand and widen student participation. The first is that a new relationship between student demand for places and their supply is on the horizon, unlike any other in Australia's history. Specifically, demand will struggle to match the intended supply. Given these new arrangements between government, institution and applicant, the article's second proposition is that governments and universities will need to develop a new regard for the people they seek to attract. And, following on from this, they will need to pay more attention to the nature of HE and its appeal to people who traditionally have not been all that interested. Informing this account are an examination of statistical data, analysis of university outreach programs, and a comparison of current principles of effective teaching in HE. The article concludes that advancing student equity in the current context will require new relations between institutions and students, which include a more sophisticated appreciation for the diversity of students and their communities, and for what they potentially contribute to HE.     

Understanding the persistence of inequality in higher education: evidence from Australia

During the latter half of the twentieth century, Australia, like many countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, experienced rapid expansion in participation in higher education which was supported by government through increases in the number of publicly funded university places. However, in spite of this expansion, a disproportionately large share of the undergraduate student population is still drawn from higher socio-economic backgrounds. This paper seeks to understand the persistence of inequality in higher education by examining changes in patterns of participation in Australian universities since the 1970s. Using logistic regressions to analyse data collected by three Australian surveys conducted between 1987 and 2005, the authors examine the influence of having a university-educated parent on an individual’s chances of obtaining a higher education degree. They find that although the expansion of higher education has had some impact in terms of reducing inequality, having a university-educated parent continues to exert a direct effect on an individual’s propensity to graduate from university. The paper draws on the theories of maximally maintained inequality and relative risk aversion to interpret institutional and student behaviour. The policy challenges of addressing structural inequality in higher education are also discussed.     

大众化进程中高等教育机会多样化改革:澳大利亚的政策与启示

在高等教育大众化条件下的若干改革中,高等教育机会多样化是其中的重要改革。澳大利亚通过设置“第13学年”、增强高中与高中后教育的互动、推行宽基础学习、打破传统高等教育形态进行开放高等教育等策略,进行了教育机会多样化的改革。借鉴澳大利亚的做法,设立“教育缓冲区”,增强高等教育过程的灵活性,扩大学生学习选择权,是我国高等教育大众化进程中推进高等教育机会多样化改革理应继续深入探讨的问题。     

桎梏与求索:新世纪澳大利亚高等教育公平问题透析——澳大利亚高等教育公平问题研究综述

经过多年的发展,澳大利亚已经基本普及高等教育,但各阶层间的高等教育机会不公平仍然存在。扩大高等教育学生参与有利于建立一个更加强大和公平的澳大利亚。为此,一方面需要取消或降低弱势群体的财政和其他的障碍,另一方面,要提高学生的高等教育认知度,调整高等教育的教学方式及课程设置。     

Hegemony and the politics of education in Hong Kong: from the post-war era to the post-handover era

ABSTRACT

The process of Chinese nation-building in education reveals the hegemonic strategies of the colonial power and the adaptation of indigenous forces when Hong Kong was undergoing decolonisation and the transfer of sovereignty. The return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty has been a crucial indicator for the potential re-unification of China, as it presents a model for the possible future reintegration of Taiwan. The idea of hegemony applies to different dominant groups in the two periods under review. In the first period, London attempted to influence the development of groups in Hong Kong and incorporate them into the colonial programme. In the second period, Beijing attempts to influence groups in Hong Kong facilitate the reintegration of Hong Kong into a larger Chinese identity. Yet, it is far too simple to picture a unilateral exercise of power by an identifiable centre and consider the periphery as mere objects of successful manipulation by the centre. Continued study of the evolution of nation-building in education, under the influence of a series of complex and shifting factors of the Hong Kong society, will be enlightening for the comprehension of the ever-changing and increasingly complicated political culture.     

Pathway from vocational education and associate degree to higher education: Chinese international students in Australia

Understanding factors influencing international students' decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students' educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to international students. Whilst there has been extensive research on the reasons why international students undertake cross-border higher education, international students' motivations for enrolling in vocational education and associate degree programmes are still under-researched. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 international students from China, this research found that pathway to higher education appears to be the most important factor motivating international students to undertake vocational education and associate degree programmes. In addition, prospect of immigration, English language proficiency, previous academic performance, agent's recommendations and relatives' and friends' advice are amongst the important factors that students take into account in their decision to choose vocational education and associate degree programmes. This research also examines why Chinese international students have chosen vocational education programmes in a dual-sector university over vocational education colleges. It found that the flexibility to articulate to higher education, international reputation of the programme, practical training and favourable location are key issues that these students draw on when making their decision to study in a dual-sector university.     

Indigenous students' persistence in higher education in Australia: contextualising models of change from psychology to understand and aid students' practices at a cultural interface

The need to address the substantial inequities that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in higher education is widely recognised. Those factors that affect the performance of Indigenous students in tertiary education have been reasonably well documented across different institutions, disciplines, and programme levels but there has, to date, been less consideration of the processes by which Indigenous students either persist or desist in higher education. This paper aims to present a conceptual understanding of academic persistence that can inform the delivery of tailored academic support interventions to Indigenous students who are at high risk of leaving higher education.     

高等教育大众化与制度创新

制度创新是美英德日四国高等教育大众化进程的共同特征 ,亦是我国实现高等教育大众化的一种必然选择。我国实现高等教育大众化的制度创新 ,应以办学模式的创新、管理体制的创新和投资体制的创新为重点。     

Discursive constructions of equity in Australian higher education: Imagined worlds and the case of people seeking asylum

There is a strong rationale for people seeking asylum and refugees given temporary protection to be key beneficiaries of Australian higher education equity practices. However, despite the extreme precarity they face, this group remains among the most educationally disadvantaged populations in Australia. Here, we use critical discourse analysis to examine the publicly available statements of 38 Australian universities to identify discursive representations of equity practices and connections, with our analytic gaze focused through the lens of people seeking asylum. Using a three-part analytic heuristic examining ‘statements’, ‘practices’ and ‘connections’, we offer a critical discourse analysis of how each public university expresses its commitment to the equity agenda in powerful stakeholder-facing documents—such as annual reports, strategic plans and media releases—and we compare this analysis against institutional stated practices with regard to people seeking asylum. In identifying misalignments between equity statements and stated practices, we suggest that institutional equity narratives articulate ‘imagined worlds’, in which all marginalised groups can access higher education. We argue that now is the time to move beyond these ‘imagined worlds’, to enact stated commitments to universal education, by instituting real and effective practices to facilitate equitable access to Australian higher education for people seeking asylum.     

Private for-profit higher education in Australia: widening access,participation and opportunities for public-private collaboration

Private for-profit higher education has grown rapidly in many parts of the world. This growth is attributed to many factors, including a broadening of the student population and the recognition that wider access to higher education will be economically beneficial to individuals, governments and society as a whole. In Australia, the number of students in private for-profit higher education is rising, with dramatic projections for the next 10 years. The Australian government has set a target to increase the participation of students in higher education, with a focus on increasing the access and success of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is unclear, however, what role the burgeoning private for-profit institutions will play in meeting the government's targets, and what incentives will be provided for them to increase the access and participation of students from disadvantaged groups. This paper analyses the key drivers of growth in private for-profit higher education in Australia, and discusses issues around quality and standards. It examines the strengths and limitations of the sector, and the extent to which it contributes to diversity, access and the participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It argues that the sector needs clear government directions to improve levels of access, and new government policies to encourage public-private collaborations to help ensure sustainability. The paper also briefly touches on the need for a review into the current structure of Australia's higher education sector as a whole, and whether higher education would benefit from the formation of public community colleges with the explicit aim of widening access for disadvantaged student groups. Further, the paper suggests that encouraging such public-private collaboration may be beneficial to ensure access and participation of students from all walks of life, including disadvantaged groups.     

Participation disadvantage in Australian higher education: An analysis of some effects of geographical location and socioeconomic status

This paper describes the resultsof a study that re-examined the relatively lowhigher education participation rate of peopleliving in rural or isolated Australia. Thefocus of the study was the goals and plans ofAustralian school students in their seniorschool years and the underlying attitudestowards education. The study suggests highereducation participation for people in rural andisolated areas may be affected less by distancefrom university campuses than by socioeconomiccircumstances and the influences of ruralsocial and cultural contexts. Socioeconomiceffects are generally more pronounced andpervasive than any effects of locationidentified by this study. The implications ofthe findings for equity policy and programs arediscussed.     

Crossing boundaries: rethinking the ways that first-in-family students navigate ‘barriers’ to higher education

Abstract

This article explores how one cohort of first-in-family students narrated their movement into and through university, proposed as a form of boundary crossing. These metaphors emerged from the stories that students told about their persistence, with references ranging from institutional or organisational boundaries through to those imposed by self and others. Applying the sensitizing lens of boundary crossing, an analysis is provided of how learners navigated their transition into university and the types of persistence behaviours adopted. The focus is on those who traversed these boundaries, considering the nature of incursions and the ways these were negotiated within students’ everyday lives. This cohort all self-identified as being the first in their family to attend university but also acknowledged a variety of additional social, cultural and economic factors that impacted upon their educational journey.     

促进高等教育公平的政策考量

高等教育公平是构建和谐社会的重要基石。由于制度设计的缺陷、教育经费投入不足等原因,我国的高等教育在入学机会、教育过程和教育结果等方面都存在着教育不公平的现象。应通过强化教育公平理念、稳定教育经费来源、合理配置教育资源、改革收费制度和完善招生录取制度等方面促进教育公平的实现。     

通过成本回收扩展高等教育:社会效率角度的理论研究

对许多发展中国家而言 ,政府在扩展高等教育时常常面临很大的财政困难。结果 ,高等教育的入学机会常常规限于较低的水平 ,许多愿意承担一定成本的个体则被排斥在高等学校之外。本文应用局部均衡分析模型证明了成本回收是调动私人资源扩展高等教育进而缓解这种状况的有效方法     

高等教育大众化时期地方政府竞争与高等教育发展

在我国高等教育大众化过程中,地方政府竞争成为高等教育发展的重要驱动力量。本文揭示了这一时期省级政府之间在高等教育领域竞争的表现以及这种竞争给我国高等教育发展所带来的影响,进而提出了规范和引导地方政府竞争,促进高等教育科学发展的政策建议。     

积极开展院校研究,促进民办高校健康发展

我国民办高校近年来得到长足的发展,但由此带来的一些问题也亟待从理论上进行探讨。我国民办高等教育研究应以院校研究为重点,这是民办高校生存和发展的需要,是实现民办高校成功转型的需要,也是民办高校提升质量、办出特色以及加强规范管理、实现管理科学化的需要。为此,应做好“领导认识到位,研究力量到位,研究方法到位”等工作。     

Reforms to higher education assessment reporting: opportunities and challenges

This article responds to recent UK proposals on measuring and recording student achievement (Universities UK 2007) to highlight issues that are relevant across different higher education contexts, which are increasingly intertwined through the expansion of the Bologna process. Drawing from wide-ranging literature on assessment and sociology, this paper argues that the introduction of new assessment technologies cannot be seen from a purely technical perspective but instead requires a deeper appreciation of assessment as a social practice, which contributes powerfully to the construction of learner subjectivities in ways that are not necessarily benign. Although not suggesting this leads to any easy solutions, the concept of ‘meta-social’ awareness may be useful in better supporting a diverse student body in confronting the complexities of the twenty-first century.