Contextualised approaches to widening participation: a comparative case study of two UK universities

Abstract

This article reports on institutional research at two contrasting UK universities, each with different foci in relation to widening participation (WP). The researchers sought to explore senior staff perspectives on the WP agenda at a time of unprecedented uncertainty and turmoil in the UK higher education sector. The research consisted primarily of interview data from university leaders responsible strategically for WP activity. The findings offer a nuanced narrative of the policy and practice of widening participation at two contrasting universities. Researchers found that the WP discourse itself is perceived as confused and discredited. Viewing 'widening participation students' as a homogenised group risks both the benefits of differentiated responses through discipline or subject areas and the benefits of more student-centred measures of success.

Creating Open Online Courses with Learner Representative Partners to Widen Participation in Higher Education

“…• Generating engagement with HE: The aim of widening participation is to engage nontraditional learners from diverse backgrounds with HE (Butcher et al, 2012). We explore if and how collaboration with LRPs could lead to engagement of these audiences.…”

“…Widening participation in higher education (HE) from under-represented groups, such as those with social or economic disadvantages, is a complex yet important challenge (Butcher, Corfield, & Rose-Adams, 2012). The nature and norms of higher education institutions (HEIs) lead to a lack of connections with, understanding of, or fit to, the needs of non-traditional audiences (Mampaey, 2017;Devas, 2011;Jones & Lau, 2010).…”

Gender Differences in School-Family Conflict and School-Family Enrichment in Nontraditional Portuguese Students

“…There are two cycles of studies: first cycle (undergraduate) and second cycle (postgraduate), with the first cycle of studies lasting a minimum of three years (European Higher Education Area, 1999). Since the Bologna Declaration was implemented in Europe, higher education institutions have made an effort to widen participation rates, particularly in the first cycle, of underrepresented groups, including nontraditional learners from diverse ages, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds who look for improved opportunities for employment and socioeconomic mobility (Butcher, Corfield, & Rose-Adams, 2012;Devas, 2011). Women, lower socioeconomic groups, ethnic minorities, and mature adults have been the four key target groups for the widening participation of postsecondary education movement (Tight, 2012).…”

Learner identities in the context of undergraduates: a case study

“…This has led to a confused understanding of the specifics but a good general understanding of the wider purpose of the WP agenda (Butcher et al, 2012). Jones (2010) argues that it is not helpful to label students from WP backgrounds or to position them as having certain characteristics, as this can lead to policy decisions and strategies that do not take individual circumstances into account.…”