Widening Participation Research Articles

Exploring the implications of university campuses as intercultural spaces through the lens of social justice

The internationalisation of higher education presents an increasingly urgent need to explore how universities can become more welcoming places for all students. Top-down implementation of widening participation and the inclusion of a more diverse and less prepared student population in higher education have led to social and academic exclusion, with systems failing to accommodate this change to support the less prepared intakes. Academic and social/cultural drivers are the key areas for bottom-up implementation of internationalisation strategies to support this influx and change in student profile. However, institutionalised separation of home and international students for academic support and language development provision, and separation of this support from subject disciplines, have increased the obstacles that block inclusive practice. An internationalised campus involves both top-down institutionalised intervention and bottom-up intervention of the academic self, enabling the potential for intercultural construction within and between communities, and promoting agency of the self in connection with others to enact change. Viewing university campuses as intercultural spaces that all students and staff need to navigate and inhabit has implications that this article explores through the lens of social justice and from the bottom-up perspective of language development provision, within the field of English for Academic Purposes, in an arts-based university.

VERNACULAR PEDAGOGIES FOR THE SYNTHETIC MEDIA AGE

This paper draws on our research into the cultures of production surrounding the development of deepfakes and use of other forms of generative AI across public sites such as GitHub and YouTube, and subsequent reflective classroom experimentation and learning. Expanding on the notion of ‘vernacular pedagogies’ – informal and in situ education and relational literacy work – we propose a set of approaches for widening participation and involvement in AI and its underlying data practices. We reflect on the kinds of public vernacular pedagogy available on YouTube, GitHub and elsewhere online, and the kinds of experimental project work and learning environments that can be created with higher education students that can widen critical forms of AI participation and literacy.

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Another year has passed quickly, and I’d like to take this moment to ask all of us to reflect upon the highlights of our professional and personal year. Too often we progress from deadline to deadline, significant dates and events, and once passed, we fail to remember and again enjoy these highlights that defined parts of our year. In our hometowns and on the broader global scale, some of us may remember events with mixed feelings and regret, whilst others rejoice with national pride. As such, our work as academics to disseminate important research findings and promote our cultural diversity and knowledges, is more important than ever. The IJHE continues to provide an important forum for the development of theory, the addressing of policy questions, and the dissemination of innovative practice in the field of tertiary education, specifically widening participation and lifelong learning. I am proud to be a part of the successful promotion of widening participation in tertiary education and lifelong learning.

Irish apprenticeships in financial services: negotiating gender and navigating social justice

PurposeSet within the context of International Financial Services (IFS), this research aims to considers the demographic profile of IFS apprenticeship candidates in relation to gender equality and social mobility in Ireland. This study also offers valuable insights as to the gendered nature of these “new” apprenticeships and examine whether these programmes provide opportunities for social mobility.Design/methodology/approachImplementing a quantitative approach, underpinned by a positivist stance, this study analyses Irish national apprenticeship data relating to IFS programmes (n = 1118). Non-parametric tests were applied in the analysis of the gender dimension, while to analyse social mobility, the socio-economic status and spatial profile of candidates were compiled and analysed using the Pobal HP Deprivation Index (SA).FindingsThe findings revealed more women are undertaking non-traditional apprenticeship programmes as compared with traditional craft apprenticeships. Within the IFS context, while female participation was seen to be growing, gender divergence was observed in terms of programme level, with a greater number of men, as compared with women, engaging in higher-level degree apprenticeship programmes. The findings also show that IFS apprentices are primarily from socio-economic areas that are above average. This trend indicates a distinctive candidate who is more aligned with the sectoral profile of IFS than that of traditional apprenticeship programmes. Such findings reveal that the “widening participation” aim of IFS apprenticeships is not yet fully realised with issues of gender inequality and social mobility persistent within the wider IFS sector.Originality/valueThis study provides an important dimension to both academic and practitioner literature concerning apprenticeships. To date, there has been a proliferation of publications concerning the beneficial impact of skills and vocational-led apprenticeships. However, limited attention has been directed to non-traditional apprenticeships and even less still within the setting of IFS. This research initiates the process of addressing that gap within an Irish context. This study also adds to the existing apprenticeship discourse regarding issues of gender and social mobility by examining the gendered nature of IFS apprenticeships and well as assessing whether these apprenticeships aid social mobility.

Widening participation to sandwich courses: temporal challenges

ABSTRACT Within the UK, sandwich courses, i.e. degree programmes that include a year spent on a work placement, usually during the third year of a four-year course, are increasingly offered by higher education institutions to maximise the proportion of their graduates moving into employment and, particularly, jobs that are deemed ‘graduate-level’. Indeed, there is evidence of a strong positive correlation between participation in sandwich courses and employment. Although this positive impact is particularly marked for students from widening participation (WP) backgrounds, such students are also significantly less likely to undertake a sandwich course. The article draws on 50 interviews with higher education staff and students to argue that many of the most significant barriers experienced by WP students are related to various temporal challenges. In doing so, it expands the body of work on the frequent mismatch between hegemonic university time and the time of students from under-represented backgrounds. In addition, it argues that WP students are less able than their more privileged peers to take advantage of the ‘slow time’ necessary to undertake a work placement, and that the rhythms of external actors are also relevant when explaining the challenges faced by WP students.

Balancing family, education and work: a qualitative study of mature women studying in higher education

This article explores the transformative experiences of ten mature, female, widening participation students, and their families, as they merged higher education (HE) study into the home to manage diverse demands. Set in a university in Northwest England, this smallscale, qualitative approach, influenced by social constructionism and feminism, incorporated semi-structured interviews (10) and a focus group. It explores experiences of work-life balance (WLB) and wellbeing as HE study was added to daily life and merged into the home sphere. The findings reveal the benefits of home-based study and work-based learning for mature learners with varied responsibilities. The women developed academically and practically, and transformed as they experienced university life to gain an increased sense of belonging, which normalised university attendance in households, a change here referred to as the 'l earning family'.

How does the repo market behave under stress? Evidence from the COVID-19 crisis

We examine how the repo market operates during liquidity stress by applying network analysis to novel transaction-level data of the overnight gilt repo market including the COVID-19 crisis. We find that during this crisis the repo network becomes more connected, with most institutions relying on previously used counterparties. There are however important changes in the repo volumes and spreads during the stress relative to normal times. There is a significant increase in volumes traded with the central counterparties (CCPs) sector. At the same time non-banks, except hedge funds, decrease borrowing and face higher spreads in the bilateral segment. Overall, this evidence reflects a preference for dealers and banks to transact in the centrally cleared rather than the bilateral segment. Our results can inform the policy debate around the behaviour of banks and non-banks in recent liquidity stress and on widening participation in CCPs by non-banks.

Widening participation in medicine: A focus group evaluation of mock multiple mini-interviews for medical school applicants

Background Medical school applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds feel less confident and are less likely to be successful in their applications compared to their peers. Widening participation interventions seek to address this under-representation. This study evaluated the effectiveness of one such intervention: a mock multiple mini-interview, designed using guidelines created by the Medical Schools Council. Methods The intervention was delivered by a team of medical student volunteers called Manchester Outreach Medics. A total of 29 participants attended the session, which prioritised the recruitment of Year 12 pupils with widening participation flags. The participants completed eight interview stations, with facilitated briefing and debriefing. Participants received both verbal and written feedback throughout. Three focus groups were conducted after the intervention, and thematic analysis was applied to explore its effectiveness. Results Out of 29 participants, who consented to take part in a focus group, 28 attended. They felt that the formal nature of the intervention helped eliminate first time nerves and raised their confidence for future medical school interviews. They valued the regular feedback throughout the session as it encouraged continuous improvement. Some participants felt the intervention helped with their isolation, as they had no peers who were applying to medical school. After the session, participants believed that they could be successful in the real medical school interview. Conclusion This study established that hosting a mock multiple mini-interview session, following the Medical Schools Council guidance, had a positive impact on pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The intervention can be delivered both by teachers and medical student volunteers. The MMI session could be improved by factoring in time for informal debriefs with peers, allocating more time for assessors to mark the stations, and incorporating a virtual MMI station.

Diversity, inclusivity and widening participation: VN Futures campaigns 2023

The VN Diversity, Inclusion and Widening Participation Working Group seeks to actively promote diversity and inclusivity for those considering a career in veterinary nursing, while also addressing the support needed by those from diverse backgrounds who are already working in the profession. This article looks at the campaigns that have taken place in 2023.

Understanding the Patterns of Hate Incidents and Reporting Attitudes at a UK University

Widening participation, through diversity and inclusion, has become a major goal to achieve in UK Higher Education, with the potential of the most able, rather than simply the socially advantaged, attending university. Addressing challenges of racism and religiously motivated hate incidents in universities is important if we are to provide an educational environment in which all can feel safe to learn. The current study is a survey investigation and one of the very largest of its kind in the UK. The focus is on the extent of hate crime incidents and patterns of reporting the incidents by students and staff at a university in the North East of England. All staff and students were invited to take part in the anonymous survey, generating a sample of 2,265 respondents. Of those who responded, 27% indicated that they had experienced a hate incident, and only 20% of those who had experienced an incident also reported it. The survey results, counterintuitively, and for some no doubt controversially, showed relatively small differences in the patterns of experiencing hate incidents motivated by race or religion across different subgroups in the sample. Students and staff with disabilities were the group most likely to report experiencing hate crime, both within and outside the university. The findings have research and policy implications. There is a need for establishing clear institutional policies on reporting pathways and procedures, maintaining an effective system for information, help, support, and advice.

Virtual student-led neuroscience conferencing: a UK multicentre prospective study investigating delegate outcomes and delivery mode

BackgroundClinical neuroscience training programmes are becoming increasingly competitive to enter. UK university neuroscience societies act as a local environment for students to develop their career interests and provide portfolio building opportunities through hosting events such as annual conferences. Recently there has been a transition to more of these events being held online yet the impact of this, if any, remains unclear. This prospective study aimed to identify the impact of student-led neuroscience conferences on delegates and examine attitudes towards an online delivery approach.MethodsMulti-centre prospective survey study using pre-conference, post-conference, and 6-month post-conference online questionnaires distributed at 6 virtual student-led neuroscience conferences in 2021. The questionnaires had five-domains: demographics, career aspirations, academic skillsets, an educational manipulation check (EMC) and mode of delivery preference.ResultsNine hundred twenty-four surveys were completed across 559 conference attendances. 79.9% of delegates were medical students. Interest in a neuroscience career (p < 0.001), preparedness to undertake research (p < 0.001) and presentation (p < 0.001), as well as EMC scores (p < 0.001) increased immediately post conference. Most participants at 6 months post-attendance had completed an academic project (71.9%) or presentation (50.9%), although 88.8% were lost to follow up. Online format was preferred (65%) with reasons including elimination of travel and access to home facilities whilst lack of face-to-face interaction and engagement were recognised limitations.ConclusionUK student-led online neuroscience conferences play a role in developing knowledge and may facilitate career interest, academic skillset and longer term portfolio building. A hybrid virtual and in-person experience would offer an ideal solution to future conferencing, providing options promoting engagement and interactivity whilst advocating sustainability, accessibility and widening participation.

The intermediate steps to widening university access: recognising and responding to the post-16 challenges encountered by those from under-represented backgrounds

ABSTRACT The institutional move associated with embarking upon post-16 study is part of the learner journey taken by many young people in England, including those from widening participation (WP) backgrounds. However, it can present a challenge, although one that has received comparatively little attention from researchers, practitioners and policy makers. To understand the nature of the challenge, this article draws on the experiences of two groups of WP students: those yet to experience this move and their older counterparts who have made the transition. It is also from the same two groups that suggestions are made for how the move from school to college can be supported. The English regulator for higher education, the Office for Students, has asked universities to work more closely with schools in widening access. The evidence presented here highlights the importance of universities, and those overseeing outreach, developing strong working relations with colleges as well.

Decisions, decisions, decisions: an exploration of factors affecting the decision-making of ‘Uni Connect’ students, when choosing higher education study

ABSTRACT This paper investigates influences on the decision-making process, during the consideration of applying to university, for UK further education college students from a widening participation background (Uni Connect). Much previous research has explored the international student recruitment market, however, there is relatively little literature concerning UK home student recruitment, particularly related to widening participation groups. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight, second-year, level 3 vocational students, during their final year of college study. Findings suggest that Uni Connect students seek multiple sources of information and engage with a multitude of touch points, with the context of these interactions playing a significant role in influencing university choice. The exhibition of predominately rational rather than emotive behaviours and the use of multiple touch points, suggests that Uni Connect students take an iterative approach to their decision-making. The decision-making process appears to be individualised, with no equivocal or homogenic pattern emerging.

Quantized compression of SAR data: Bounds on signal fidelity, InSAR PS candidates identification and surface motion accuracy

Satellite radar imaging has been used as a remote sensing tool for studying Earth’s surface. High spatial resolution achieved by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) allows to classify landcover and, using radar interferometry, to measure topography and surface deformation at millimeter scale. However, the handling of voluminous SAR data has presented a significant challenge over the past decade, leading to a technological barrier for researchers to study regional and global scale problems. A possible solution will be to explore data compression algorithms. Despite of the importance of SAR data compression, limited research has focused on downsizing user-level SAR images, and none of the existing studies have explicitly explored the impact of compression on interferometric (InSAR) processing.This study investigates compression algorithms to downsize Sentinel-1 single-look complex (SLC) images by a factor of 2–4 within signal noise levels. The performance of the compressed images was evaluated in the context of PS-InSAR processing, specifically on persistent scatterer (PS) candidate selection and displacement time-series estimation. We observe that even when images were compressed by a factor of 4, more than 98 % of the PS candidates were identical to those selected from the original uncompressed images. In terms of linear velocity, the discrepancy is <2.5 mm/yr at a 99 % confidence interval for the identical PS set. This work provides evidence that, in the context of PS-InSAR processing, Sentinel-1 radar data can be compressed by a factor of 4, leading to possible wider participation in InSAR research and applications.

Preparing sixth-form students for the transition into higher education: developing key research skills through the EPQ

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a Level 3 qualification which allows students to develop an independent research project on a topic outside of their A-Level studies, culminating in either a dissertation or artefact final product (both research-based, with a written component) (AQA, 2023). The University of Southampton Learn with US Transition Programme provides free interactive workshops and guidance to sixth-form students in state schools undertaking the EPQ, particularly targeting schools that meet our widening participation (WP) criteria (The Learn with US Transition Programme, 2023). The persistence of long-standing awarding gaps at university, especially for WP and minoritised students, demonstrates the importance of improving equality, diversity, and inclusion at all stages of the student lifecycle, including the transition into higher education (Harrison and Waller, 2018; Matheson, 2018). Research from the University of Southampton observes that higher proportions of students with an EPQ achieve first class and 2:1 degree awards compared to the proportion of students that don’t have an EPQ. In addition, an exploratory analysis of our most recent research (as yet unpublished) indicates that the EPQ may also contribute to reduced awarding gaps for students from underrepresented backgrounds in HE. Our approach to developing interventions targeted to address specific milestones of the EPQ project can be used to inform practice for other Learning Developer practitioners, including: Embedding interactive activities into workshops to maintain interest and build confidence. Emphasising the transferability of research skills in a range of contexts. Encouraging students to direct their own learning through developing dialogue and asking questions, instead of providing a ‘right’ answer. Linking up to post-entry academic skills support to enable a smooth transition to university (Stoten, 2014; Cripps et al., 2018; Gill, 2018; Stephenson and Isaacs, 2019). Feedback from students and teachers consistently demonstrates that this approach develops key research skills, and student confidence in viewing themselves as potential members of a university community (Cripps et al., 2018).

Performing legitimate choice narratives in physics: possibilities for under-represented physics students

Higher education physics has long been a field with a disproportionately skewed representation in terms of gender, class, and ethnicity. Responding to this challenge, this study explores the trajectories of “unexpected” (i.e., demographically under-represented) students into higher education physics. Based on timeline-guided life-history interviews with 21 students enrolled in university physics programs across Sweden, the students’ accounts of their trajectories into physics are analyzed as choice narratives. The analysis explores what ingredients are used to tell a legitimate story of physics participation, in relation to dominant discourses in physics culture, and wider social and political discourses. Results indicate that students narrate their choice as based on motivations of physics being a prestigious and challenging subject, of a deep interest in and a natural ability for physics, as well as a wish to use physics for contributing to the world. While most of these affiliations to physics has been documented in earlier research, the study shows how they are negotiated in relation to social locations such as gender, class and migration history, and used to perform an authentic and legitimate choice narrative in the interview situation. Furthermore, the study reports and discusses the possibility of conceiving the role of physics in students’ lives as something beyond a “pure”, intellectually challenging, and “prestigious” subject. In contrast, and with implications for widening participation, the stories of “unexpected” physics students indicate that physics can be reconceived as socially and altruistically oriented.

Has the public good of higher education been emptied out? The case of England

In Anglophone neoliberal jurisdictions, policy highlights the private goods associated with higher education but largely neglects the sector’s contributions to public good not measurable as economic values, including non-pecuniary individual benefits and collective social outcomes. Governments are silent on the existence and funding of most public goods. The paper reports on understandings of the public good role of higher education in England after nearly a decade of full marketisation. The study, part of a cross-national comparison of 11 countries, consisted of a review of major policy reports, and 24 semi-structured interviews in universities (13) and among higher education policy professionals (11) including regulators, national organisations and experts. England has no policy language for talking about outcomes of higher education other than attenuated performative outputs such as graduate salaries, research impact, knowledge exchange and widening participation, understood as individual access to education as a private good. Awareness of multiple public goods has been suppressed to justify successive fee increases and the imposition of a market in the centralised English system. This has coincided with a shift from direct government funding and collaborative stewardship by state and institutions, to student funding and top-down regulation. Nevertheless, most interviewees, including regulators, advocated an open-ended public good role and provided many examples of public goods in higher education, though the concepts lacked clarity. The policy notion of a zero-sum relation of private and public outcomes, corresponding to the split of private/public costs, was rejected in favour of a positive-sum relation of private and public outcomes.

How does learning space shape students’ experience of a bespoke Higher Education bridging module for those affected by homelessness?

ABSTRACT This paper draws on findings from the From Adversity to University project, a unique widening participation initiative developed by one university to support a diverse range of people into Higher Education through engagement with a 12-week bridging module. This small-scale case study presents an in-depth exploration of how learning space shaped students’ experience of a bridging module during the COVID-19 pandemic. Space is conceptualised through a theory of embodied cognition which recognises the complexity of social, cultural, and cognitive inter-relations between space and students’ learning experience. An interpretative narrative methodological approach was taken, drawing on the Listening Guide [LG]. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five students who completed the bridging module during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. All had been affected by homelessness and most were in recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction. For all participants, there was a complex and dynamic interconnectivity between learning spaces and their experience of the bridging module. The findings demonstrate for the five students how learning spaces (including the flexibility of the space) contributed to participants’ sense of belonging, recovery from drugs and alcohol addiction, mental health and well-being. Implications of the study point towards the need for further research into the connection between learning space and the creation of a sense of belonging particularly for students from marginalised groups.

Hallways to learning: creating brave spaces inside contemporary Higher Education

Over the last two decades, two contradictory processes have been notable within the development of Higher Education. The marketisation of the sector has advanced steadily at the same time as professed policies of widening participation, and this has left universities stuck between a rock and a hard place. The datafication of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies has rendered invisible the minoritised experience in HE, and the needs of non-traditional student identities. As early career researchers and casualised members of staff, the authors are expected to fulfil dual roles in the institution, and operate under conditions of 'in-extremis'. Drawing on Wenger's ideas of identity as a negotiated experience, and the notion of Communities of Practice, they show how different senses of achievement have been framed for non-traditional students and staff, through both policy and practice. Because of the precarity of their posts, the authors are expected to edgewalk their way through conditions of crisis. To address some of these issues they have introduced the concept of hallway teaching - a practice that exists within a liminal space - to highlight their sense of transience between the position of student and staff. This transience affects their ability to create long-term engagement, while they are simultaneously expected to be the most likely people to create bridges between EDI policy, staff and students

Reflecting on Experiences of Learning among Adult Learners with Multiple Responsibilities: A Case of Evening Programmes at a University in Tanzania

The focus of this paper is to report the findings of a qualitative study whose purpose was to analyse the experiences of adult learners pursuing evening postgraduate degree programmes at the university level in Tanzania. Using ethnographic research combined with multiple case research design, together with in-depth interviews and documentary review, data were generated from 20 postgraduate students from one school within a university in Tanzania. The resulting qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The study found that university adult learners in these evening programmes combined learning with their full-time employment, family, and social responsibilities as well as extra income-generating activities. Inevitably, these multiple responsibilities, as the study established, adversely affected their academic performance and duration for programme completion. In fact, completion on a part-time basis depended on dispositional factors such as individual learner’s efforts and strategies adopted to cope with the situation, with many others either delaying completion or dropping out altogether. This scenario invites rethinking the modus operandi of programmes to facilitate postgraduate students’ completion rates amid widening participation in higher education.