Widening Participation Activities Research Articles

Who controls the remote? Examining the motivations of Widening Participation practitioners towards online provision using Expectancy-Value Theory

Many widening participation (WP) organisations moved their operations online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then anecdotal evidence has suggested that most are retaining an online element to their provision. This study seeks to discover to what extent this is the case, and what providers expect to be the impacts of this shift. By surveying and interviewing sector staff we find that most organisations delivering WP activities to young people plan to continue with some remote delivery. However, our respondents also felt that such sessions were less effective across several measures. We use the framework of Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) to examine this apparent disjunct. Our research finds that while most practitioners do not expect online delivery to be as effective due to issues such as lack of engagement and personal contact, this deficit is balanced by value benefits to themselves and their employers, such as cost and time savings, and increased geographical reach. The study demonstrates the utility of EVT in analysing the decision-making processes of WP staff specifically, and more generally for educators other than classroom teachers.

Exploring the potential of digital storytelling in a widening participation context

ABSTRACT Background Digital storytelling combines traditional storytelling with digital technologies. Although recognised as a powerful creative method across many domains, its application in the context of widening participation remains underexplored. Purpose This study from Australia sought to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and limitations of using digital storytelling in a widening participation programme. Methods Five partner schools engaged in a programme that involved creating a digital narrative about students’ post-school futures. A total of 36 teachers delivering the 10-week programme to students of 13–14 years of age participated in focus groups, with 12 completing post-delivery surveys. Data were analysed qualitatively. Findings The analysis suggested that, according to the teacher participants, digital narrative can be an effective tool for maximising student engagement in widening participation activities. However, emphasis was placed on the impact of the digital divide, which disproportionately affects students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in under-resourced school environments. Conclusions The study highlights the potential of using digital storytelling in a widening participation context. It also underscores how support for developing teacher and student digital literacies, as well as reliable access to technology and infrastructure, needs to be in place if the digital narrative is to be strongly embedded into future widening participation outreach activities.

Spatial division of opportunity: local economic context, elite trajectories, and the widening participation industry

ABSTRACT The importance of geography in debates around education and labour market inequality is an enduring public policy concern. This paper argues that local economic contexts have a role in shaping the kind of university and career trajectories working-class young people are exposed to. Drawing on multi-sited data on working-class young people in different local contexts across England, it underlines the importance of regional economic development, the geography of elite universities and the spatial patterning of widening participation networks and activity. In the capital, a sophisticated widening participation infrastructure exists – including multiple partnerships between schools and the third and private sectors – which far exceeds the networks and support found elsewhere. Combined with London’s high economic capital and elite career pathways, this infrastructure greatly facilitates systems of support designed to drive aspirations to elite universities and careers. Whilst advocating for a fairer distribution of educational opportunities nationwide, we argue that, without acknowledging the origins of spatial imbalances within the UK, any attempt at simply ‘spreading out the same’ opportunities risks offering a superficial response. If long-term change is to be truly advanced, a more systematic dismantling of how economic functions and social relations are configured spatially must first be achieved.

Are t he Office for Students' standards of evidence appropriate? Why it matters for widening participation

This debate paper argues that the Office for Students (OfS) has adopted standards of evidence that are inappropriate. These standards offer a problematic typology of different evaluation types, present a flawed hierarchy, and over-prioritise experimental approaches. As the OfS uses these standards of evidence to guide the evaluation of widening participation (WP) activities, this risks misrepresenting the evidence base for different activities, and prioritising methods that may not be the most appropriate. The goal of developing explanations of how WP activities work in particular contexts requires a more nuanced approach to evaluation. Recommendations are made for future practice: the OfS should review its standards of evidence and there should be greater debate in this area, evaluation should assess how WP activities work in particular contexts, and practitioners should make use of theory-driven, qualitative methods.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION, EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE: Using critical discourse analysis to explore performativity within English higher education access and participation plan (2020-2025), regulatory guidance and accompanying texts

In England, evidencing impact of higher education widening participation and access activities, such as mentoring programmes, summer schools and school-university partnerships, has become central to conditions of the newly established regulatory body, the Office for Students (OfS). However, evaluation evidence of these activities remains elusive across the higher education sector (Gorard, 2013; National Centre for Research Methods, 2016; Harrison and Waller, 2017). 'Robust evaluation' (University of Exeter, 2019), is now a core element of the regulatory framework in England. English policy makers and Government departments are also keen to see evaluation evidence, highlighted by the formation of a new 'What Works' centre specifically focussed on evaluation of access and student success activities (TASO, 2019). Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this article analyses the English regulator's guidance documentation for higher education providers' Access and Participation Plans. It explores how the language of evaluation is framed within the discourses of widening participation and access. The article argues that current discourses promote performative evaluation methods, rather than an occasion to explore opportunities to develop transformative widening participation (Jones and Thomas, 2005). The article concludes by suggesting that higher education regulators and providers should rethink what constitutes robust evaluation evidence to facilitate equity in progression to higher education for under-represented groups.

No Budge for any Nudge: Information Provision and Higher Education Application Outcomes

Despite increasing efforts to improve their access, students facing socio-economic disadvantages are still underrepresented in UK higher education. In this paper, we study whether behavioural nudging with information provision through text messages, embedded within a larger programme of widening participation activities, can be effective at increasing higher education application rates. We conducted two randomised control trials in which final year students in schools and further education colleges in areas with low higher education participation rates in the East of England region received a series of text messages that prompted thinking and/or action regarding the process of applying to higher education. We find null and statistically insignificant effects on application outcomes, suggesting that behavioural nudging in a setting where it is implemented as part of a more intensive widening participation programme is not effective at increasing higher education application rates. These results add to recent evidence regarding the potential impact of nudging in education by studying such interventions within a busy intervention space.

Barriers and facilitators to university access in disadvantaged UK adolescents by ethnicity: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Increasing access to university for those currently under-represented is a UK government priority. Understanding the views of under-represented students can help direct widening participation activities. In recent years, a positive trend finds increasing numbers of Black students attending university, but it is not clear why White disadvantaged student numbers have not increased. Thus, we aimed to explore the student viewpoint on barriers and facilitators to university access in disadvantaged adolescents and how this might differ by ethnicity. We used an online semi-structured interview with questions about applying to university. Seventy adolescents (mean 16.9 yr.) were recruited who are currently under-represented at university level, based on various measures of disadvantage. Black, Asian, and ethnic minority students (BAME) reported similar barriers and facilitators to applying to university as White disadvantaged students. However, there were some differences, for example, BAME participants stated ‘having no choice’ was a reason to apply to university while White participants did not mention this. Also ~60% of BAME students said they would prefer to study close by compared to far away, while only 46% of White participants said this. Our results support previous findings that financial issues are a key barrier to university access and that outreach activities can act as facilitators to increase university access. However, we compare the unique viewpoints on the barriers and facilitators to university access in Black, Asian and White under-represented students. Based on these views we also make recommendations for future widening participation events targeted at different ethnicities.

Partnership building for student access in online spaces: an evaluative exploration of the Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the educational experiences of young people and to educational institutions. This article will examine the opportunities and challenges of the 'emergency' move to online spaces for the universities, schools and colleges in the Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire (HeppSY). Within the article, there is a particular focus on stakeholder groups and their relationships, which were vital for accessing and engaging the target students for activities and initiatives, but they are often not explicitly discussed when evaluating the impact of widening participation activities. This article will present the findings of 16 interviews and focus groups and the opportunities and challenges of moving into an online space will be outlined from the perspective of two stakeholder groups, as well as issues around digital poverty, capability and funding. The discussion section will focus on the implications of the online environment for widening participation and partnerships and how it can be moved beyond emergency online delivery to be planned and sustainable. It concludes by outlining the role of the online in widening participation and partnership working that will help drive the diversification of access post-pandemic.

Exploring the use of photo-elicitation as an alternative lens for evaluating young people's views and experiences with widening participation

This article explores the potential of an arts-based, participatory method called photo-elicitation (PE) as a tool for evaluating widening participation (WP) initiatives with young people. Though past studies have highlighted the potential of PE for evaluating WP interventions to date, it has rarely been used for such purposes and there is limited guidance available on how to employ this approach, which can prevent others in the field from using it. This paper provides such guidance, presenting an example project to illustrate how a PE approach was used to evaluate a pre-16 WP programme. Specifically, the example project involved using an 'auto-driven' PE method, whereby school pupils took photographs of their views/experiences before and after taking part in the WP programme, which were then explored via semi-structured interviews. The article discusses practical and ethical challenges that may arise when using PE, but also the deep and meaningful insights that may be gained by enabling young people to articulate themselves in different ways. As methods are sought to evaluate WP activities in the post-pandemic world, arts-based methods, such as PE, could allow for a more nuanced understanding of young people's views, which can be achieved whil e supporting students remotely.

Equalizing and Widening Access to Higher Education During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned from a Multi-University Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid and unprecedented shift of widening participation and outreach activities to online and remote delivery. The impact of this went beyond practitioners and the university sector; positive and negative implications are felt by stakeholders and the broader community. This shift online is discussed through the lens of a multi-university perspective, using four case studies from university outreach programs in one Australian state. The article provides a holistic view of the lessons learned and discoveries made, informing future program design and delivery. These programs include primary and secondary students, teachers, parents, guardians and carers, and work within a range of low socioeconomic and regional, rural and remote contexts. We argue that the fundamentally necessary shift online created a profound legacy and bears potential to increase accessibility (via diversity and scale), but, simultaneously, that care must be applied if substituting face-to-face engagement with that online. While this article primarily focuses on issues of value to practitioners, it also discusses important implications for academics, support staff, and university executive regarding the access and participation of underrepresented cohorts during times of mass change.

‘Miss, is anthropology about studying ants?’ An experience of university Widening Participation activities reflected upon by a teacher of the rural working-class

As an English teacher and student of anthropology, I have experienced how rural and urban students have different experiences of access to university. This paper is a reflection on the lived-experience of widening participation activities, considering location as a factor of inequality. These experiences raise observations about familiarity as an important concept for considering university study, and exposes how some students are currently strangers to widening participation provision. In contemplating how these circumstances come about, I conclude by proposing some potential solutions for widening participation in the future.

Optimising the impact of a multi-intervention outreach programme on progression to higher education: recommendations for future practice and research

Despite substantial financial commitment to widening participation activities internationally, robust evidence demonstrating ‘what works’ in facilitating disadvantaged learners to access Higher Education (HE) is remarkably sparse. Much effort has been directed at measuring immediate post-intervention changes in the aspirations, attitudes and behaviours thought to drive access to HE, rather than actual access itself. Here, we present an innovative quasi-experimental study of a multi-intervention outreach programme (UniConnect) consisting of 1,386 learners from the Aimhigher West Midlands database whose HE application results were known, while controlling for multiple variables, including estimates of deprivation. The results showed that any engagement with UniConnect, no matter how limited, was associated with an improved chance of achieving a place in HE, but the type of engagement, the extent of engagement and the combination of types of engagement all mattered. The more learners engaged with UniConnect, the greater were their chances of HE acceptance, but the benefit of each additional engagement beyond five or six engagements was small. To our knowledge, these findings are the first to indicate the number, type and combinations of interventions that are most effective in supporting progression to HE. These results therefore have important implications for future practice, enabling funding for such work to be used for optimal impact. Furthermore, we found large differences in success between schools, even when controlling for several other variables; a finding which has important implications for future evaluation research.

Geographies of elite higher education participation: An urban ‘escalator’ effect

Based on analysis of an administrative dataset, which includes granular detail on 800,000 English students over a 10‐year period, this article identifies an urban ‘escalator’ effect in entry to elite universities, with disadvantaged youth in the urban centres of England having higher rates of entry than similarly disadvantaged youth located rurally. Using multilevel modelling, as well as Geographic Information System (GIS) methods, the analyses show that while place in itself is not a major contributory factor in entry to elite universities overall, there is a distinct urban–rural patterning to progression. When raw progression rates by area alone are observed, rural areas typically have higher progression rates to elite universities. However, when the full range of individual differences are accounted for, including attainment, socio‐economic status, ethnicity and accessibility to elite universities, the converse is true—localities within and surrounding major urban centres are those with the highest progression rates. A ‘vortex of influences’ is likely to favour urban disadvantaged youth, including the geography of social class and ethnic identities, a legacy of concerted policy interventions within urban areas, as well as the proliferation of widening participation activity in urban centres.

‘A presence in the community’: developing innovative practice through realist evaluation of widening participation in West Yorkshire

This paper examines the role realist evaluation can play in supporting innovative practice in widening participation (WP) activity. Based on the Go Higher West Yorkshire Uni Connect project (formerly the National Collaborative Outreach Programme, or NCOP), a new model of WP provision has been developed to support learners in spatially disadvantaged communities where access to Higher Education is nationally less than average. It offers specific examples of innovative practice developing a locally tailored approach to WP activities based on community contexts. A realist evaluation framework is utilised to iteratively assess WP activity through subsequent development and modification of relevant programme theory. The article contributes to literature through offering a reflexive account of how realist evaluation can be utilised in terms of WP outreach.

Becoming not Being: using the rhizome in widening participation evaluation

Evaluation of widening participation (WP) activity is becoming a core expectation within higher education. It now forms a central focus to access and participation plans: a key document to qualify as a higher education provider within England. The new regulator for English higher education providers, the Office for Students (OfS), has placed their evaluation strategy within discourses of value for money, risk and accountability, reflecting the marketised higher education system (OfS, 2018).<br/> This innovative practice article extends a concept presented at the Open University's Access, Participation and Success event 'Evaluating WP initiatives: Overcoming the Challenges' in February 2019. In this article we provide an example of how the Southern Universities Network (SUN) is developing the concept of the rhizome into evaluative practice that challenges established evaluation methods currently celebrated by the regulator. As part of the strategically funded Uni Connect programme (OfS, 2020), our evaluation practice is expected to provide evidence of 'what works' in wid ening participation activity. As evaluators, our practice should ensure our activities are fit for purpose and provide positive outcomes for our participants. Within this article we outline why our current evaluative practice does not allow for transformative widening participation (Jones and Thomas, 2005) and why we must think wider than linear timelines and fixed measurements to truly understand what works.

Unknown knowns: implicit epistemological hierarchies in the evaluation of widening participation activities

Comparing guidance documents issued by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office for Students (OfS) over the course of 15 years, I argue that the introduction of a new higher education regulator in 2018 caused a shift in the positioning of widening participation evaluation in HE policy. I suggest that the resulting changes have significant implications for the configuration of key evaluation stakeholder groups and that these reconfigurations, in turn, have implications for the epistemic relationships at play in the evaluation process. In particular, the way in which a mode of evaluation is framed by policy can determine who has the power to shape dominant definitions of meaningful evidence and whose situated forms of knowledge are considered to constitute robust evidence. The ongoing tension between positivist and post-positivist approaches can be eased, I argue, by focusing on the role of delivery practitioners as producers of evidence about 'what works' in their own contexts. I conclude by drawing on other practice-based disciplines such as social work and nursing to suggest that we might learn from work that is already advanced in these areas, which appears to have found a balance between evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence.

Dr. Me project: Teaching children self-care for self-limiting illnesses in primary schools

With increasing demand on general practitioners (GPs) and emergency departments (EDs), patient empowerment for appropriate self-care and inspiring medical careers is vital to sustaining the NHS. Dr. Me trains doctors and medical students to teach primary school children how to self-care for common self-limiting illnesses. Volunteers delivered 1-hour Dr. Me sessions in schools, covering workshops on vomiting and diarrhoea; sore throat and fever; and minor and head injuries. Six case scenarios were asked at the beginning and end of the session, and children decided whether to stay home, visit the GP or attend the ED. Responses before and after were compared. A feedback questionnaire gauged confidence in self-care and interest in medical careers. Dr. Me taught 216 children. Correct responses after the sessions improved by 16.3% (p<0.00001). Vomiting scenarios improved from 48.1% to 68.8%, sore throat from 63.9% to 87.5%, and minor injuries from 84.7% to 89.4%. Feedback showed 93.3% felt more confident in self-care and 56.9% were more interested in medicine. Participating in the Dr. Me project can improve primary school children's knowledge in self-care and increase their confidence in managing self-limiting conditions. Dr. Me also increased children's interest in becoming doctors which can benefit widening participation activities.

The Importance of Highly Engaged School-University Partnerships in Widening Participation Outreach

In Australia, there has been a sustained investment in widening participation activities by the federal government through the Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program (HEPPP) and a sustained effort by universities and their partner schools to create high-quality widening participation programs. However, there is limited longitudinal evidence on if and how these widening participation activities influence the application rates to university by school leavers from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. This article draws on a large mixed-methods study which aimed to investigate differences in university application rates between students from low SES backgrounds in urban versus rural, regional and remote (RRR) schools in Queensland. The research found that widening participation programs had a positive and statistically significant influence on application rates to university in highly engaged schools. We propose the concept of a virtuous circle of sustained widening participation activity to explain the positive results in highly engaged schools.

Improving Access to Higher Education for Asylum Seekers: A Partnership Approach

This paper considers two, linked examples of innovative practice in widening participation activity designed to work with adult asylum seeker and refugee communities. Specific examples of interventions that have been undertaken at Cardiff University are de Live Local; Learn Local a suite of Aspire Summer School, offering a combination of courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) alongside academic short courses. The authors suggest these programmes are innovative as: (1) they provided free and meaningful English language courses; (2) they provided flexible routes to undergraduate and postgraduate study; (3) the programmes seek to remove structural barriers to education through a contextualised approach; and (4) the specificity of the Welsh context and partial devolution of Wales played a role in creating these opportunities. These interventions are presented in terms of their positive aspects and also where further development is required. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how higher education institutions can improve the provision offered to support asylum seekers and refugees.

Are university widening participation activities just-in-time or just-out-of-time? Exploring the (mis)alignment between the timing of widening participation activities and university decision-making among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds

When is the best time to engage high school students in widening participation (WP) activities? With qualitative data from 46 university students at six Australian universities who are from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds, this study explored WP’s timeliness. It was found that a) the timing of the decision to go to university can occur at any point in compulsory schooling; b) LSES students experienced the bulk of WP in senior high school, being the years after they have selected the university stream; c) students in the university stream were exposed to WP activities while those in the non-university stream were excluded; and d) participants recommended that WP should begin earlier and be concentrated in the lead up to the forced streaming decision that occurs in Year 10. Overall, earlier WP exposure that is synchronised with high school streaming processes would optimise WP activities aimed at increasing LSES university participation.