Abstract
This article discusses a study that started from the premise that we can better support our students when we know who they are. The study used narrative analysis to explore reasons for success for undergraduate business students in a New Zealand university. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu and the concept of learning careers (Bloomer & Hodkinson, 2000) the study gained insights into the students’ educational journeys, the development of an educated habitus (Nash, 2002) and the importance of the development of social, academic and emotional capital on the journey towards success. The study reinforced findings about the non-linear paths to and through university of some students, and the importance of parental emotional support in student success. It demonstrated the usefulness of the concept of learning careers to better understand who our students are, and consequently how to better support them to succeed.
Highlights
Universities are constantly looking for ways to better support their students to succeed
The study revealed that the students had several things in common. These were: an ability to articulate the value their parents placed on education; a willingness to learn; confidence that they could learn; and an ability to articulate why they thought they were successful at university
We explored how the students came to develop an educated habitus by tracing the students’ learning careers focusing on the development of academic capital and social capital during their learning careers, which in turn supported the development of an educated habitus
Summary
Universities are constantly looking for ways to better support their students to succeed. The focus of our discussion is part of a study that used the concept of learning careers as a framework to examine students’ educational and life experiences in order to gain insights into why they were succeeding at university. It found that the non-traditional students in the study came from families that were not familiar with the education system, the provision of emotional capital can be an important factor in their success. This supports the argument by Reay (2000) that parental support for university studies can create emotional capital and help students succeed
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