Widening participation on early childhood studies and early years education degrees

This paper describes an evaluation of a joint project in 2001 between Sheffield Hallam University, regional further education (FE) colleges and the Building Pathways team. The project's purpose was to develop clear progression routes into higher education (HE) for FE students studying on Advanced Diploma, Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma courses in childcare and education. The work reported here represents the first part of the evaluation and seeks to illuminate some of the key factors involved in translating principles and objectives associated with widening participation into reality. The main aims of this evaluation were to review the process by which a set of widening participation agreements were reached, to identify key factors for success and to ascertain any issues arising from and during the process itself. The evaluation also sought to elicit information from respondents concerning possible future strategies to further develop the agreed progression routes. The second phase of the evaluation (2002–2003) will focus on the student experience and seek to understand factors that enable or hinder the success of those students who take advantage of these routes. The paper is set in the context of national widening participation policy developments since 1997, with FE and university responses to these developments relating to early childhood studies and early years education degrees. The paper discusses factors, identified by participants in the project, that facilitated or hindered attempts to widen and improve access for regional FE students onto the HE early years provision at Sheffield Hallam University.     

Access Courses and Students from Minority Ethnic Backgrounds

Abstract

This article describes a study of the uptake of places on ‘access’ to higher education courses in Scottish further education (FE) colleges by students from minority ethnic backgrounds. Colleges surveyed recruited access students from minority ethnic backgrounds in close approximation to the proportions attracted to FE in general, despite the commitment to prioritise under‐represented groups, including students from minority ethnic communities. The study found a general acceptance of the principle of positive action by colleges, but little evidence of strategies likely to prove effective. It is suggested that the government's agenda for widening participation in education can only be accomplished when the FE sector recognises ethnicity as an important issue.     

Do we need more scientists? A long‐term view of patterns of participation in UK undergraduate science programmes

This paper reports the findings from an ESRC funded study which examined patterns of participation in higher education science programmes. Using data on applications and acceptances to university, the paper describes trends in the numbers of candidates who choose to study science and science‐related degree programmes in the UK over the last two decades. Two main findings emerge. The first shows that overall the sciences have retained their share of the undergraduate population during a period in which the sector has expanded rapidly. We find no evidence of a ‘swing’ from science. Indeed it is not the case that undergraduates are not studying science, rather, it is the type of science courses they are studying which has changed. The second finding suggests that large and small‐scale initiatives to increase recruitment to the sciences have had little lasting impact on the higher education participation data.     

Being altruistically motivated: the postgraduate and career motivational orientations of access students at an Irish University

The relative lack of research about postgraduate education, and especially from a widening participation (WP) perspective, is noteworthy in a context of an increasingly expanding and important postgraduate sector internationally. This paper draws on the findings of a study about the ‘impact’ of WP initiatives at an Irish university, exploring the undergraduate, postgraduate, and employment experiences of two groups of former access students. A mixed-methods research design (employing a self-completion questionnaire sent to all relevant individuals (N=195), and 26 in-depth semi-structured interviews) was employed. This paper examines these individuals’ postgraduate progression in relation to a number of factors, with a particular focus on their views about progression, the programmes pursued, and their related motivational orientations. Many of the research participants were altruistically motivated in their selection of postgraduate programmes and related careers, and this motivational orientation is explored in terms of its genesis and implications in a WP context.     

Policy and practice in widening participation: a six country comparative study of access as flexibility

Widening participation to higher education (HE) is central to the educational policies of countries throughout the world, and takes the form of a range of types of intervention, which can be classified within a three-fold typology. Access as in-reach refers to those programmes that prioritize recruiting potential students into the institution—examples include adult Access courses and certain summer school provisions for school-leavers. Access as out-reach is typified by efforts to widen participation and involve partnerships with one or more of employers, schools and the wider community. Alongside in-reach and out-reach exist a number of initiatives that can neither be categorized primarily as either of these, but focus on transformations and adjustments to the structure, administration and delivery of HE programmes. The third category of Access as flexibility refers to systematic as against discrete provision and includes such structural arrangements such as the use of accreditation of prior learning (APL), open and distance learning and the use of information and communications technology (ICT). In this paper—based on research commissioned by the Scottish Executive—policies and practices from Australia, Canada, England, Finland and France are compared and analysed with particular focus being given to flexibility. The implications of these policies and practices and their potential transferability to Scotland are considered.     

Diversity project: mapping of diversity teaching and learning in nurse education curriculum

Diversity and inclusivity in higher education and health care have gained prominence in recent years and this means that institutions’ educational programmes need to incorporate teaching and learning that is responsive to diversity. This paper reports findings from a diversity teaching and learning mapping project. The aim of the mapping project was to map out when and how the various themes on diversity in all course curricula are addressed in a university’s School of Nursing. The project adopted the following methodologies: documentary reviews of curriculum documents, handbooks and timetables, followed by qualitative interviews with module leaders and teachers. The documentary reviews provided a map of where diversity teaching and learning tended to occur and the interviews yielded six major themes central to diversity: definition, importance, confidence, challenges, resources and future implications.

The results suggest that mapping does provide an important way of comparing courses and highlighting aspects which need attention. The results provide directions for curriculum development teams to ensure that diversity issues are transparently addressed in all courses in the School of Nursing. Furthermore, the insights derived from the findings steered the project team to develop Web CT resources on some of the diversity themes such as an introduction to diversity and inclusivity, spirituality, ethnicity and diversity. Plans are in place to develop further diversity teaching and learning resources in the light of findings which will be used in staff development programmes.     

Higher education in further education: delivering higher education in a further education context—a study of five South West colleges

This paper comprises a summary of research into the teaching of higher education (HE) courses in further education (FE) learning environments. A comprehensive study of college management and teaching staff attitudes together with teaching practices, pedagogy and research was carried out with six partner colleges of the University of Plymouth where a substantial amount of HE teaching was delivered. A questionnaire was developed, piloted and distributed to all staff teaching HE in the colleges, with a similar but separate questionnaire being used for management. Five colleges responded. We present data relating to the differences in teaching practice and pedagogy between FE and HE teaching and the problems of realizing these in FE learning environments. We also look at the ways in which independent study and critical reflection among learners are developed. The questions of research and scholarly activity and their relevance to HE teaching are addressed. Considerable challenges are faced by staff teaching mainly FE courses, on standard FE teaching contracts, being expected to deliver HE courses effectively. We also consider the challenges of delivering ‘a real HE experience’ in FE environments and those involved with going on to university afterwards.     

From Lifelong Learning to Lifelong Teaching: Teaching as a call to style

This paper offers the viewpoint that franchised Further Education-based degree courses should be continued and expanded, since these colleges are less likely to intimidate adult (potential) students. A modified American '2 + 2' learning scenario (2 years in FE college followed by 2 years concluding the degree in a university) is discussed.     

ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES, ADDITIONAL FEE INCOME AND ACCESS AGREEMENTS: THEIR IMPACT ON WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND FAIR ACCESS

ABSTRACT:  This paper argues that the introduction of access agreements following the establishment of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) has consolidated how English higher education institutions (HEIs) position themselves in the marketplace in relation to widening participation. However, the absence of a national bursary scheme has led to obfuscation rather than clarification from the perspective of the consumer. This paper analyses OFFA's 2008 monitoring report and a sample of twenty HEIs' original 2006 and revised or updated access agreements (2008) to draw conclusions about the impact of these agreements on notions of 'fair access' and widening participation. The authors conclude that, unsurprisingly in an increasingly market-driven system, institutions use access agreements primarily to promote enrolment to their own programmes rather than to promote system-wide objectives. As a consequence of this marketing focus, previous differences between pre-1992 and post-1992 institutions in relation to widening participation and fair access are perpetuated, leading to both confusion for consumers and an inequitable distribution of bursary and other support mechanisms for the poorest applicants to HE.     

Prioritizing the education of marginalized young people in Brazil: a collaborative approach

This paper explores constructions of the ‘new’ university student in the context of UK government policy to widen participation in higher education. New Labour discourse stresses the benefits of widening participation for both individuals and society, although increasing the levels of participation of students from groups who have not traditionally entered university has been accompanied by a discourse of ‘dumbing down’ and lowering standards. The paper draws on an ongoing longitudinal study of undergraduate students in a post–1992 inner‐city university in the UK to examine students' constructions of their experiences and identities in the context of public discourses of the ‘new’ higher education student. Many of the participants in this study would be regarded as ‘non‐traditional’ students, i.e. those students who are the focus of widening participation policy initiatives. As Reay et al. (2002) discovered, for many ‘non‐traditional’ students studying in higher education is characterized by ‘struggle’, something that also emerged as an important theme in this research. The paper examines the ways in which these new student identities both echo the New Labour dream of widening participation and yet continue to reflect and re‐construct classed and other identities and inequalities.     

A New Approach to Teacher Training: An Evaluation of a Further and Higher Education Partnership

Abstract

During 1992/93, a scheme was set up at the University of Greenwich in the School of Post Compulsory Education and Training to pilot a new way of delivering the one year full‐time pre‐service CertEd(FE)/PGCE(FE) course. The School entered into formal partnership contracts with 4 selected FE colleges and a combined team of University and FE staff collectively planned, taught and assessed many of the key course components. This article describes aspects of the national and local context which led to this development and evaluates its success. Some contrasts are drawn with school‐based partnerships and the potential of the model to meet some of the profession's major concerns at a time of massive upheaval and change is discussed.     

Where Shall We Widen It? Higher Education and the Age Participation Rate in Wales

This paper examines the range and quality of data sources available to calculate the representation of minority ethnic groups and different social classes in higher education. The focus is on widening participation in Wales, although some of the datasets and the implications of their re‐analysis are more general. The paper also identifies a number of problems with many existing pieces of research in this field – including the routine, and ironic, exclusion of nonparticipants from studies of widening participation, and the small scale of much work. Using the limited datasets that are available for re‐analysis shows that the qualified age participation rate for traditional undergraduate entry to university is near 100 per cent. Social classes and ethnic groups are, therefore, represented in proportion to their prevalence in the more general population, and in proportion to their prior attainment of entry qualifications. The solution to widening participation for these groups lies not in universities but in schools, colleges and the wider society.     

Networking as a Means to Deliver Distance-Mode Health Education in Bangladesh

The provision of health education in a distance mode is very much a new approach in Bangladesh. Health education has been identified as an important means for ensuring the health and hygienic consciousness of all citizens. Limitations of infrastructure and resource personnel are important problems for such educational programmes. This article focuses on two programmes, a Bachelor in Nursing programme and a Certificate in Primary Health Care programme, that were developed and implemented by the Bangladesh Open University (BOU) through a distance-mode module. The use of electronic media delivery and the development of the continuing and extension health education offerings in distance mode have been successful. They provide access to global networking and to information on educational systems.     

The impact of a university teaching development programme on student approaches to studying and learning experience: evidence from Chile

In this paper, we analyse the impact of teacher participation in a University Teaching Diploma on student approaches to studying and learning experience. A quasi-experimental and multilevel design was employed. University teachers answered the Approaches to Teaching Inventory and students completed the Course Experience Questionnaire and the Study Process Questionnaire. In addition, contextual variables were included for both teachers and students. The total sample included 44 teachers and 686 students. Of these, 25 university teachers had completed the University Teaching Diploma and 19 had not; 373 students were in courses with a diploma teacher and 313 in courses were not. Results show that those university teachers who have completed the programme have, in their courses, students who were more likely to declare having adopted a deep approach to studying than those teachers who have not participated in the diploma. At the same time, no significant impact was found on the student learning experience. For practical purposes, this investigation provides evidence for the value of teaching development programmes in promoting deeper approaches to studying. For research purposes, it proposes the use of multilevel models to evaluate the impact of university teaching diplomas.     

‘We all know why we’re here’: Learning as a community of practice on Access to HE courses

This article examines the extent to which Access to Higher Education courses can be defined as communities of practice. Other studies have already revealed the importance of mutual engagement and supportive relationships between students and between students and tutors in facilitating learning. While previous studies carried out on Access to HE (AHE) courses in England and Wales have largely focused on single colleges, the study that this article draws on was carried out in three urban further education (FE) colleges using a linked case studies design and a social interactivist lens. It investigated mature students’ perspectives of their changing learning identities through their developing relationships with their tutors and with each other during their AHE courses. Qualitative data was collected from five to six self-selecting AHE students in each college using focus group interviews and from their tutors using individual interviews. The findings suggest that the AHE students in this study generally participated and interacted in a supportive and collaborative way, guided by their tutors, and how and why they did this. This mutual engagement around particular core values helped to construct communities of practice, although some students remained peripheral participants. Within these communities were considerable inequalities of power, largely sustained by the institutional structures and professional discourses within which the AHE courses were located.     

新西兰护理教育模式对我国护理教育的启示——以成都大学医护学院为例

文章重点论述了新西兰怀卡托理工学院护理学院的护理理念、人才培养方案、课程设置、教学模式等特点,结合国外护理教育发展趋势,围绕"护理角色"的教育理念,探讨了护理教育的改革应进一步更新教育思想,转变教育观念,调整课程设置和改进教学方法,加强师资培训,以实现与国际护理教育接轨,提高人才培养质量。     

From sixth form to university: motivation and transition among high achieving state‐school language students

This paper reports on a research project involving a sample of 19 state‐educated students in their first year of a German course at Oxford University. The project is one of a number of research studies into widening participation issues funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) and the Sutton trust. The paper describes the students' motivation for applying to study German at Oxford and their experiences of the transition from school to university. This is part of a larger scale study looking at access and transition data. The findings, based on data from semi‐structured interviews, suggest that the students had instrumentally oriented motivation for wanting to do a language course which was qualitatively different from the one experienced at A level. Although several factors might have alienated the students, most managed to adapt to the academic requirements at Oxford. It is argued that the students' ability to adapt and succeed is due to a high level of preparedness and to a flexibility of motivational orientation. The study contributes to the widening participation debate in general by commenting on issues of transition in terms of how well matched certain prestige university courses are to the aspirations of the applicants.     

Financial circumstances,financial difficulties and academic achievement among first-year undergraduates

Widening participation initiatives led by the government encourage non‐traditional students to enrol in higher education courses usually offered through a franchising arrangement between a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and a local Further Education Institution (FEI). The focus has been on the development of foundation degrees with most collaborative agreements concentrating predominantly on offering these qualifications on the proviso that students must attend the host HEI to complete the final full degree year. This review focuses on an FEI in South Wales which has successfully obtained a franchise to offer BSc provision at honours level in care studies and childhood studies. Delivery of honours provision is a new concept for the FEI in question; issues considered revolved initially around the establishment of an HE ethos and environment within the college together with the additional requirement for implementing guidelines for dissertation supervision and scholarly activity which are not normally a remit of FEIs. A model for the delivery of HE in an FEI had already been established previously but it soon became apparent that provision of honours level required some modification and expansion of this model looking at flexibility of delivery within the traditional inflexibility of an FE teaching contract. The issues surrounding this and their subsequent resolution are discussed in terms of both practice and policy development. The first year of honours provision was outstandingly successful and it is hoped to develop an established model of HE provision in an FEI that encompasses the total progression pathway from sub‐degree to full degree for students who are described as non‐traditional students within the widening participation culture. The outcomes of this review will become the baseline for the development of a comprehensive policy for delivering HE provision in a FEI.     

我国高等护理教育面临的问题与对策

当前我国的高等护理教育面临着新的挑战与机遇。高等护理教育工作者应以高度的责任感、使命感来面对这一转变。本文重点讨论了护理专业人员应具备的素质，我国高等护理教育面临的问题，并结合北京大学护理学院的教学改革实践，讨论了改革我国高等护理教育的对策。     

The Social Space of Educational Strategies: Exploring Patterns of Enrolment,Efficiency and Completion among Swedish Students in Undergraduate Programmes with Professional Qualifications

The aim of the study was to analyse enrolment patterns, and study efficiency and completion among students in programmes with professional qualifications, using microdata from Statistics Sweden. The programmes were Architecture, Medicine, Nursing, Law, Social work, Psychology, andEngineering (year 2001–2002,n?=?15,918). Using the concepts from Bourdieu’s sociology, data was analysed with Specific Multiple Correspondence Analysis. Different patterns emerged and were constructed as different dimensions of the social space of educational strategies in higher education, patterns of enrolment, efficiency, and completion. The students’ relative positions in the social structure were analysed by the type and amount of their cultural capital. The most important factors for differences between coherent intensive and scattered extensive enrolment patterns were programmes, gender, mother’s socioeconomic index, parents’ education, and type of university. Regarding efficiency, the most important factors were programme and type of university. The factors most important for graduation were gender and type of university.