Reconceptualising Participation & Inclusion in Higher Education

Background

Policy makers increasingly note the shortcomings of widening participation (WP) in focusing on access to university and ignoring the quality, nature, depth and comparative success of participation experienced by disadvantaged students. In contrast, the inclusion field focuses on improving the learning experiences of students once they have accessed education. Inclusion debates and practices also tend to be narrow in that they focus on schools or disabled university students. Nevertheless, they offer useful insights into particular aspects of learning experiences e.g. the role of technology in mediating participation, and should be integrated with WP research.

WP policy and practice is dominated by area-based proxy measures of low participation and by operationalisations of social class that are problematic as indictors of disadvantage. Other dimensions of disadvantage such as gender, age, ethnicity and disability are acknowledged in statistics but under-examined for impact. WP practitioners are increasingly aware of the need to address less well used indicators of disadvantage, such as ‘care leaver’. However, there has been little investigation into the ways that different forms of disadvantage intersect and interact. Expanding the understanding of the dimensions of disadvantage will help to identify new approaches to framing WP policies and procedures.

We will exploit expertise within each institution to create new connections across GW4 and to develop a collaborative community focussed on expanding and strengthening research. We will bring together academics from education and other social science disciplines, undergraduate and postgraduate research students, and professional staff supporting WP and inclusion.

Project Summary

The community held three workshops to bring together researchers and practitioners across GW4. These workshops created a collaborative space for discussion, to highlight previous evidence and identify key problems, gaps and potential new approaches. Following these workshops the community aimed to maintain a network for doctoral students and organise regular seminars across GW4. Discussions at the workshops led to a number of parallel research ideas developing into future bids.