‘I cannot study far from home’: non‐traditional learners' participation in degree education

This study explores the demand amongst potential higher education (HE) learners from the non‐traditional group for flexible degree level provision, key factors influencing their decision to pursue a degree and existing degree provision. The research entailed a combination of a questionnaire survey, focus group discussions and interviews with the relevant stakeholders in Fife, Scotland. There is evidence for the existence of a demand for local degree provision in Fife: 22% would certainly want to pursue a degree locally and another 31% who originally did not intend to pursue a degree would reconsider it if there were suitable local provision. An increasing demand for degree provision in Fife is also evident and requires addressing. Although there are now three models of college/HE partnerships available within the area, the types of partnerships which can cater more for the need of non‐traditional learners are still very limited. It is also argued that flexible and local learning provision is merely a starting point and that practical and academic support to ensure successful completion of learners' studies is even more crucial.     

FE and skills in Scotland: the implications of a policy led and ‘managed’ approach?

ABSTRACT

This article considers the implications of a ‘managed’ approach to skills policy in Scotland, in which Government policy and the role of national institutional frameworks can be seen to be influential, and which contrasts with the more marketised approach which has been a central aspect of policy in England. A number of themes within these national policies are discussed, and the continuing importance of balancing the skills agenda with social inclusion is noted. The ways in which these national policies and frameworks have shaped provision in a number of key areas including apprenticeship programmes, changing patterns of participation and relationships with employers are then examined. The strengths and limitations of the distinctive approaches taken in Scotland will be analysed in terms of their contribution to meeting the changing educational training needs of the workforce in the twenty-first century. This consideration of the distinctive policy led and ‘managed’ approach to the skills agenda will provide the context in which to consider the opportunities for policy learning within the UK.     

Gender,power and emotion: towards holistic understanding of mature women students in South Korea

This study investigates the life experiences of six mature undergraduate women at a traditional 4-year university in South Korea. It explores women's construction of their university lives in the context of their wider socio-cultural experiences, both past and present, which are shaped by the socio-historical context of South Korean society. The study is, therefore, concerned with the interplay of structure and agency in the formation of gendered social practices (Connell, R.W. 1987. Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. Cambridge: Polity Press). The results from life-history interviews reveal that women's construction of university experiences cannot be fully understood without reference to their life off-campus and their wider social structures. These social structures are Confucian culture, severe academic credentialism, a heavily masculinised labour market, and the discourse of the ‘educational manager mother’ in neoliberal contemporary Korean society.     

Access and equity programme provision-evaluation in Australian higher education: a what matters approach

This article draws on findings from a national review of the evaluation of access and equity initiatives across Australian higher education to argue that utilising responsive mixed methods focused on the values of participants enables crucial understanding of what matters to the people involved. Based on the evidence collected, a “what matters” conceptual guide is provided to assist with programme design and evaluation. The approach enables identification of the multiple complex variables involved in generating programme outcomes that matter to the groups they are intended for. Provision and evaluation processes must be iteratively connected so that they are responsive to changing contexts and needs over time. Key concepts from critical realism and complexity theory are applied to highlight that context, complexity, and temporality are critical elements to incorporate into approaches to provision-evaluation. The “what matters” guide is designed to enable programmes that are accessible, engaging, and valuable to all participants.     

‘Learning to play the game’: How schools with below average attainment can support the decision-making processes for high-potential learners in applying for university

This article explores how schools with below average attainment can support high-attaining learners in their decision-making about university. We report on a project involving longitudinal case studies of 43 high-achieving learners from a range of backgrounds across five institutions, during their sixth form career in 2013/14 and 2014/15, focusing on ways in which aspirations towards university develop. To understand schools’ roles in supporting learners, we draw on Hart's analytical framework which sees the development of aspiration for higher education as a capability—the development of the opportunity freedoms of young people to pursue future trajectories that they have reason to value. We draw attention to the factors that facilitate or hinder this development, and highlight the key crunch points at which this feeds into young people's decision-making about university. We suggest that policy and practice should move beyond a traditional focus on the role of schools in raising aspirations amongst learners from non-traditional backgrounds. Instead, there should be a focus on how schools can support young people to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the university landscape, so that young people do not rule out options without fully understanding them. This will in turn lead to young people being able to make informed choices linked to future trajectories they have reason to value. ‘Learning to play the game’ of attending Russell Group universities needs to be seen as part of the development of this wider capability to aspire.     

Student ambassadors: ‘role-models’, learning practices and identities

Employing students to market higher education (HE) and widen access is established practice in the United Kingdom and other developed countries. In the United Kingdom, student ambassadors are held to be effective in aspiration and attainment-raising work and cited as ‘role-models’ for pupils. The focus of this paper is student ambassador outreach work in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics including medicine) at two contrasting universities. The study deployed ethnography and approaches from across the social sciences to trace and analyse discourses surrounding ambassadors, and to explore their positioning within learning contexts, relationships with pupils and the learning that takes place. Findings indicate that where ambassadors work collaboratively with pupils in contexts with ‘informal attributes’, pupils can identify closely with them. However, in contexts with more ‘formal attributes’, differences, not similarities, are highlighted. Stakeholder interests are found to significantly impact on learning contexts and on ambassadors’ efficacy as HE ‘role-models’.     

Promoting diversity in creative art education: the case of Fine Art at Goldsmiths,University of London

Students studying art at university in the United Kingdom tend to be female, from higher social classes and from majority ethnic groups. This paper considers some of the complex and deeply-rooted social and economic factors that militate against wider participation in the arts and describes how we started to tackle under-representation at Goldsmiths using a participatory action research approach. Working in partnership with local colleges, the project aimed to increase student diversity and widen participation in the Goldsmiths BA Fine Art Degree. The need for university applicants to have the ‘right sort’ of cultural capital is particularly marked in Fine Art, indicating that standard widening participation aspiration-raising activities would not solve the problem. A range of interventions were developed to support potential applicants, underpinned by participatory action research. The flexibility and responsiveness of the research model allowed us to reflect on and respond to issues as they arose and to achieve immediate positive impact.     

甘肃省城乡居民体育消费差距扩大现象的分析及对策

采用文献资料、问卷调查和数理统计等综合研究方法,对甘肃省城乡居民体育消费差距扩大的现状分析,认为影响城乡居民体育消费差距扩大的相关因素为：经济条件的差异,城乡居民体育消费观念、闲暇时间、场地、器材的差异及政府对城乡居民体育消费的财政和金融政策的影响等。     

英国开放大学招生制度及其扩大参与的政策

英国开放大学是世界上最早成功开展远程教学的大学之一,它的创办旨在为因各种原因无法或者不方便进入传统高校学习的人士提供高质量的高等教育,实现社会正义。它实行的是向所有人开放的开放招生制度。通过对英国开放大学的开放招生制度及其扩大参与的政策的阐述,揭示其在实现社会正义中的重要作用。     

Time and Space: Access and the Lifecycle of the Art Student

Reflecting on how ‘transition’ can be interpreted in the context of an art and design college, this article will discuss how the access programme at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin supports the art students’ lifecycle in, through and out of college. The article will present an overview of NCAD’s access programme and will track its development as it has evolved and how, through a series of targeted initiatives and key partnerships it has identified, retained and supported students beyond graduation. The NCAD has a distinctive widening participation programme that is embedded in the School of Education but is part of the organic culture of the art college. This support enables the mainstreaming of NCAD’s access policy through its engagement with schools and community, seeking to raise aspirations and awareness of art and design as a life option for young people.