Abstract
Targets set by the UK Office for Students require highly academically selective UK universities to enrol a greater percentage of students identified as least likely to participate in higher education. Such students are typically at a disadvantage in terms of levels of academic preparedness and economic, cultural and social capital. Drawing on eighteen interviews with first-generation students at Durham University, we identify five sites of pressure: developing a sense of belonging within the terms of an elite university culture, engagement in student social activities, financial worries, concerns about academic progress, and self-transformation. Based on these insights, we argue that support for first-generation scholars will require that universities recognise and redress elitist cultures that discourage applications from prospective first-generation scholars and prevent those who do enrol from having the best educational and all-round experience.
Highlights
Targets set by the UK Office for Students require highly academically selective UK universities to enrol a greater percentage of students identified as least likely to participate in higher education
Participation in higher education varies across the UK, with the north-east of England, where Durham University is based, having one of the lowest overall participation rates
Students from middle-class backgrounds tend to find the transition to higher education easier than those from workingclass backgrounds because they often begin with higher levels of academic competence, are more confident, and feel a greater sense of entitlement to be at university (Reay, David et al 2005)
Summary
Targets set by the UK Office for Students require highly academically selective UK universities to enrol a greater percentage of students identified as least likely to participate in higher education. Drawing on eighteen interviews with first-generation students at Durham University, we identify five sites of pressure: developing a sense of belonging within the terms of an elite university culture, engagement in student social activities, financial worries, concerns about academic progress, and self-transformation. Based on these insights, we argue that support for first-generation scholars will require that universities recognise and redress elitist cultures that discourage applications from prospective first-generation scholars and prevent those who do enrol from having the best educational and all-round experience. First-generation scholars and working-class students are more likely to experience setbacks in their learning and social integration at university, which has been linked to a sense of conflict between the student’s identity and the dominant culture of the institution (Byrom and Lightfoot 2012)
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