'Ethnic Choosing': Minority ethnic students, social class and higher education choice

This chapter focuses on UK higher education and how structural racism is perpetuated through inadequate attention to access, support, and wellbeing. Inequalities in higher education correspond with those in health, where there are marked disparities between ethnic majority and ethnic minority populations, as COVID-19 revealed. The research employed a qualitative methodology to explore students’ experiences of higher education at a widening participation university during lockdowns resulting from COVID-19. Twenty undergraduate students participated in focus groups and semi-structured interviews across the academic year 2020–2021. These were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that ethnic minority students suffered from inadequate access to technology, insufficient attention to child-care responsibilities, a dearth of peer-to-peer interactions, and limited institutional support for mental wellbeing. Inclusive support services and welcoming learning environments, including space for peer-to-peer learning, however, were emphasised as enablers for effective learning and emotional wellbeing. This study has shown that inequalities in access, support and wellbeing in higher education remain. Overcoming these inequalities requires equitable access and support provisioning for ethnic minorities so that all students can fulfil their potentials, at university and after.

At UK institutions of higher education, the academic attainment of White students tends to be higher than that of students from other ethnic groups. A postal survey of Open University students found very little difference in academic engagement in those from different ethnic groups. The differences in pass rates and course grades remained statistically significant even when any effects of differences in academic engagement had been controlled. This is consistent with previous findings that quantitative variations in the attainment of students from different ethnic groups are not reflected in concomitant qualitative variations in their experience of higher education. The explanation for the attainment gap in ethnic minority students must be sought elsewhere than in the nature of their experience of higher education.

In UK higher education, differences in academic attainment between White students and ethnic minority students are ubiquitous and have persisted for many years. For instance, it has been known for more than 20 years that the academic attainment of ethnic minority students at the first-degree level is poorer than that of White students. Roughly half of the disparity in attainment between White students and non-White students is attributable to differences in their entry qualifications. Nevertheless, the academic attainment of ethnic minority students remains poorer than that of White students even when the effects of their entry qualifications and other variables have been statistically controlled. An explanation put forward by Ogbu (Minority Education and Caste: The American System in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Academic Press, New York, 1978; Contemporary Education Review, 27: 168–190, 1983; Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 18: 312–334, 1987) based upon the experiences of people from different ethnic minorities in the US does not fit the UK situation. Any differences in the experience of higher education between White and ethnic minority students are not sufficiently large to explain the dramatic differences in their academic attainment. Researchers have yet to identify the factors that are responsible for the ethnic differences in attainment that remain when differences in entry qualifications have been taken into account.

Reviewed by: Ethnic and Racial Administrative Diversity: Understanding Work Life Realities and Experiences in Higher Education Denise O'Neil Green, Associate Vice President Jerlando F. L. Jackson and Elizabeth M. O'Callaghan. Ethnic and Racial Administrative Diversity: Understanding Work Life Realities and Experiences in Higher Education. San Francisco: Wiley Periodicals, 2009. 95 pp. Paper: $29.00. ISBN-978-0-4705-8814-7. In the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling of the Grutter v. Bollinger case, diversity research in higher education was recognized for its contributions in demonstrating that ethnic and racial diversity among students, faculty, and staff greatly benefits student learning. Since that time, higher education [End Page 710] scholars have continued to investigate aspects of diversity and its impact with respect to students and faculty. However, diversity among the administrative and executive ranks has received less attention in the literature and in practice. If diversity is, in fact, a compelling interest for society, then higher education leaders and researchers alike need a better understanding about the ways in which diversity is achieved and experienced among the administrative ranks within colleges and universities. How diverse are the ranks and what can institutions do to improve the structural diversity of their administration? What challenges do people of color face in entering and advancing in administration? What are their experiences and what coping strategies do they employ? In Ethnic and Racial Administrative Diversity: Understanding Work Life Realities and Experiences in Higher Education, Jerlando Jackson and Elizabeth O'Callaghan address these important questions by presenting an analysis of relevant literature and two national datasets from 1999. While college and university leaders articulate the need to increase racial and ethnic diversity among administrators, stating the need is often easier than pursuing and achieving change. The authors provide a thoughtful discussion that goes beyond the traditional theoretical frameworks and anecdotal information that are so often relied upon but do not yield desirable results. The book consists of five chapters. In Chapter 1, the introduction and overview, the authors outline the growing concern for the lack of people of color in senior-level positions which both results from and perpetuates a lack of a commitment to ethnic and racial diversity. They highlight empirical studies and news articles that speak to the difficulty in hiring and retaining people of color in administrative higher education posts, particularly at predominantly White institutions. Jackson and O'Callaghan then introduce two relatively new concepts to justify the importance of workforce diversity in higher education: representative bureaucracy and retention. They describe these concepts in detail to underscore their relevance to higher and postsecondary education. The remainder of the introduction briefly describes the literature review underlying the book and overviews the subsequent chapters. Chapter 2, "Status of Ethnic and Racial Diversity in College and University Administration," begins with a description of what constitutes the administrative workforce examined in the book, including both academic affairs leaders and student affairs practitioners. With the unit of analysis defined, the authors present sixteen tables detailing the distributions of the aforementioned groups by race/ethnicity and demographic, career/ job, and institutional variables. Drawing upon two 1999 datasets, the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) and a study by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the authors make comparisons for both student and academic affairs personnel by race/ ethnicity. Although the data are relatively dated, the authors indicated that, based on more recent trend analysis, the 1999 datasets reflect today's demographic trends. The chapter concludes with several notable observations. First, people of color enter administrative positions earlier in their careers than their White counterparts, which has a negative correlation with their attaining such senior-level positions as provost or dean. Second, women of color hold more student affairs positions than White men or men of color. Finally, institutional type and geographic location correlate with the likelihood that people of color will hold administrative positions at a particular college or university. Although the analysis is primarily descriptive statistics, it is very instructive and fills a disturbing void in the literature. In Chapter 3, the authors articulate the barriers that frequently face people of color as they pursue careers in administration. Jackson and O'Callaghan suggest that...

This paper adds to the small but growing body of literature which probes the complex decision‐making processes undertaken by minority ethnic students, and particularly working‐class minority ethnic students, when choosing a higher education institution. Previous studies have focussed on areas with ethnically diverse local populations. This article presents the findings of a small‐scale study examining the decision‐making processes of minority ethnic school, undergraduate and postgraduate (PGCE) students in a predominantly ‘white’ area of England. Some similarities with the previous research are found, but also some interesting contextual differences, particularly in students’ prioritisation of institutions with an ethnic mix. The paper discusses how students in this context make decisions about what is an acceptable choice based on a complex inter‐related web of factors relating to ethnicity, class and gender. The level of agency assumed within conceptions of habitus when applied to students’ decision‐making processes in the context of higher education is also discussed.

Beneficial effects of ethnic and social diversity in a higher educational institute can be realized only if different ethnic groups effectively integrate into the educational and social environment in which they live and study. Though located in an area of ethnic majority, the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna (FAUR) has be-come a tertiary education institute with a reasonable proportion of other ethnic communities since 2012. Students of minority ethnic communities may perceive the new learning environment unwelcoming which may in turn ad-versely affect their academic performance. Objective of the present study was to compare the academic perform-ance and perception of educational environment between ethnic minority (Tamil and Muslim) and majority (Sinhala) students, following three degree programs in FAUR. Perception of randomly selected ethnic minority (n=53) and majority (n=83) students were determined using a modified version of DUNDEE DREEM question-naire. Students’ agreement on each of the 50 statements in five domains; students’ perception of learning (SPL), teachers (SPT), academic self-perception (SAP), atmosphere (SPA) and social self-perception (SSP) were recorded on a five point Likert scale. Semester grade point averages (SGPA) of 320 Sinhala and 53 Tamil and Muslim stu-dents, representing three Degree programs were used for the academic performance analysis. SGPA of the ethnic minority (Tamil and Muslim) students (2.267±0.08) was significantly lower than that of Sinhala students (2.747±0.03). Ethnic minority students recorded lower SGPA values in all three degree programs, both academic years and semesters. The percentage of students having higher academic grades was significantly higher among ethnic majority students. There was a higher rate of examination avoidance either by not applying or by submit-ting medical certificates, among minority students. Ethnic minority students held significantly higher total percep-tion score and perception scores with respect to SPL, SAP and SAP. It was concluded that though ethnic minority students held better perception towards the educational environment of the FAUR, their academic performance are lower than ethnic majority students. Students perceptions towards the educational environment and their aca-demic performance were found to be two different constructs each determined by different factors.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and synthesize major streams of research on quality of student experience in higher education, to present an agenda for future research.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a systematic review of research published in high-quality journals during the period 2000 to 2014 in the areas of quality of student experience and higher education.FindingsFindings highlight current research trends on the quality of student experience in higher education. Results show five prevailing research streams: exploration of learning experience; exploration of student experience; gender differences in assessment of higher education experience; improvement in quality of student experience; and student satisfaction with higher education experience.Research Limitations/implicationsThe identification of the five research streams provides the basis for a synthesis of key issues identified within each research stream. In addition, the identification of purposes and limitations in existing research supports attempts to address issues of the quality of student experiences in higher education.Practical ImplicationsLiterature currently portrays the quality of student experience as a student-centric idea. Together with the purposes and limitations identified in existing research, the paper proposes an agenda for future research that increases the variety of research streams to provide a deeper understanding of the student experience and to enhance the delivery of quality in higher education.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the research scene by providing important insights in terms of the current trends and focus of existing research in the area of quality of student experiences in higher education.

The aim of this research is to associate academic self-concept with the educational level of the parents and previous experiences of students in higher education. It is a cross-sectional study that evaluated 1093 students from a private university in Chile. The instruments used were the academic self-concept scale (ASCS), the variables of educational level of the parents and students previous experience in higher education. Bivariate correlations were made using the Spearman coefficient, associations using Pearson’s Chi-Square, and mean difference using the Mann-Whitney U between ASCS with the parents’ educational level and previous experience in higher education. The outcomes indicate correlation, association and mean difference (p < .05) between the ASCS and the educational level of the mother when she has university studies, as well as with the existence of previous experiences in higher education, being the father’s educational level of no significant impact. In conclusion, academic self-concept is greater when students have a mother with university studies and when they have previous experiences in higher education.

This article explores the everyday experiences of minority ethnic students at a university in the West Midlands. Based on interviews with 23 second-level students taking Sociology modules, it seeks to highlight the key social, personal and pedagogic issues for this group of minority ethnic students and to deepen understandings of cultural identity and exchange on campus. The students' multiple narratives and voices are central to the article, as is the possibility that there are multiple ways of experiencing teaching and learning at a university.

China's Policies for Minority Nationalities in Higher Education: Negotiating National Values and Ethnic Identities

Black Experiences in Higher Education: Faculty, Staff, and Students illuminates the narratives of Black faculty, staff, and students and how they navigate their professional experiences, confront the hidden curriculum and work to transform academia. As we think about the context of Black Lives Matter, intersections of race and gender, and what it means to be Black in America, there is a new consciousness and attention to the uniqueness of Black experiences in the world. This book calls attention to how Black folks are navigating their experiences within higher education.The book will present an overarching aim to delve into Black voices and experiences in higher education. Contributing authors hold varying roles of faculty, staff, and students, all sharing their experiences in higher education in the USA. In particular these scholars reflect on the challenges and opportunities within the three themes of mental health and wellness, mentorship and creating supportive spaces, and career experiences, trajectories and pathways. The aim of the variety of contributing authors creates a space to reveal unique Black experiences and voices, therefore contributing to the scholarly discourse on race in America, and in higher education, in particular.

This article presents findings from recent research exploring black and minority ethnic (BME) students’ experiences of Physical Education teacher education (PETE) in England (Flintoff, 2008). Despite policy initiatives to increase the ethnic diversity of teacher education cohorts, BME students are under-represented in PETE, making up just 2.94% of the 2007/8 national cohort, the year in which this research was conducted. Drawing on in-depth interviews and questionnaires with 25 BME students in PETE, the study sought to contribute to our limited knowledge and understanding of racial and ethnic difference in PE, and to show how ‘race,’ ethnicity and gender are interwoven in individuals’ embodied, everyday experiences of learning how to teach. In the article, two narratives in the form of fictional stories are used to present the findings. I suggest that narratives can be useful for engaging with the experiences of those previously silenced or ignored within Physical Education (PE); they are also designed to provoke an emotional as well as an intellectual response in the reader. Given that teacher education is a place where we should be engaging students, emotionally and politically, to think deeply about teaching, education and social justice and their place within these, I suggest that such stories of difference might have a useful place within a critical PETE pedagogy.

Discussions about social justice imply discussions about higher education. After all, a whole set of literature has illustrated how ethnic minority students face all types of difficulties to become successful at college level. In line with this literature, the present research offers a case study of one Flemish University nested in a growing superdiverse environment. Based on unique administration data of four consecutive cohorts of first-year students, differences in academic attainment between ethnic minority and native students are examined. Through a two-step estimation strategy (i.c. linear regression and Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition) of five different groups (i.c. native students; Dutch students; EU students; Turkish and Moroccan students; and other non-EU students) we find that ethnic minority students do not enter higher education on the same conditions as natives. Ethnic minority students have significantly lower academic attainment than native students, after controlling for important pre-entry characteristics. Oaxaca–Blinder decompositions show that, while disparities between ethnic groups exist, differences in type of secondary education, parental education and first language learned as a child play a significant role in explaining the academic attainment gap. The pre-entry characteristics, however, explain only half of the attainment gap. Other research will have to clarify what type of factors can offer further explanation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the main barriers to employability skills development of ethnic minority students in the context of higher education (HE) in Greece and recommends strategies to help higher education institutions (HEIs) overcome those barriers. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with 20 ethnic minority students and ten “traditional” students studying at three institutions of HE in Greece. Findings – The study shows that there are many barriers facing ethnic minority students in HE including: poor self-esteem; lack of good advice about HE courses; isolation once in HE; discrimination by staff in HE; and unresponsive curriculum to ethnic diversity in HE. In this context, it is argued that there is an immediate need for decision makers in HEIs to develop policies that target ethnic minority students in order to help them secure employment. It is suggested that HEIs should: provide opportunities for students to discuss concerns with teachers and counsellors; address issues of motivation, self-perception and self-efficacy; encourage teaching staff to adopt various teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles; decrease competitive, norm-referenced environments; use multicultural education and counselling techniques and strategies; and provide work placement opportunities. Practical implications – The paper suggests ways that can help HEIs embrace diversity and promote graduate employability among ethnic minority students in the context of widening participation agenda. Originality/value – The study fills a significant knowledge gap in the existing literature in relation to the measures that HEIs can take to enhance graduate employability among ethnic minority students particularly in less developed countries like Greece.

Career colleges may have an important role in addressing the educational needs of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in higher education, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans/Alaska Natives. This study focused on examining the extent to which career colleges meet the needs of these ethnic racial and minority students in states with the highest educational needs through analysis of publicly available data from NCHEMS, the Educational Needs Index, the American Community Survey, and College Navigator (IPEDS) on a sample of 114 for‐profit career colleges and 40 public/not‐for‐profit colleges. Racial/ethnic categories corresponded to categories reported in the IPEDS dataset. Career colleges outperformed other colleges in graduating students from these racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. Career colleges successful at enrolling, retaining, and/or graduating students from one racial or ethnic minority group appear to benefit students who are members of other racial or ethnic minority groups. Students may see that members of another racial or ethnic minority group can succeed in higher education and think that they can succeed, too. The results suggest narrowly focused diversity efforts on specific racial or ethnic student subpopulations may derive benefit across multiple subpopulations of students from racial and ethnic minority groups.