Families into Higher Education Project: An Awareness Raising Action Research Project with Schools and Parents

Abstract

Participation in higher education amongst minority ethnic groups is unevenly spread across higher education institutions and disproportionately low amongst certain ethnic groups. This article presents some preliminary findings from a small scale research project which is investigating higher education participation issues for Muslim families in the north of England. The paper argues for a widening participation discourse which speaks on the same wavelength as minority groups if strategies are to be effective. It also argues that those same discourses need to be heard within higher education if the student experience is to be positive beyond the recruitment stage.