Beyond Access to Social Mobility: the challenges for different student groups moving through Higher Education

Mary StuartVice ChancellorUniversity of Lincoln

Themes

• What is the issue about Social Mobility?• What is Higher Education’s role in creating Social Mobility?• Widening Participation and Social Mobility - do they inter-relate?• What impact should concerns about Social Mobility have on what we do in HE?• Extra curricular activities and graduate employment

• Mass higher education is now a worldwide phenomenon. More than 150 million students are enrolled in universities worldwide, an increase of 53 per cent in just a decade. Globally, 26 per cent of the relevant university age group now participates in higher education, up from 19 per cent in 2000. In many rich countries, more than half the eligible population is in higher education and in some countries, the figure is as high as 80 per cent. Even in much of the developing world, enrolments are increasing dramatically (THE, Sept, 2010).

The British HE ‘field’

•...in important respects choice of [and within] university is a choice of lifestyle and a matter of ‘taste’ and further that social class is a key aspect of these subtexts of choice...there is choice as class-matching and thus also a form of social closure (Reay et al, 2005:29)

The British HE field

What is the ‘gold standard’ HE experience?

• Rite of passage from home• Based on a growing to adulthood • You live HE• The ‘classroom’ is only part of this process

Milburn Report, 2009

• Access to the UK’s top jobs has become less,

not more, socially representative over time

Milburn report 2009

• 58/70 birth cohorts – 58 saw strong trajectory of upward social mobility 70 flattened off.

• 75% of Judges, 70% of FDs, 45% of top civil servants 32% of MPs were independently schooled

The Role of Higher Education in Social Mobility

Graduate employment gives access to a professional career ....

• ‘Employers said they found it increasingly hard to fill graduate vacancies because students fail to match academic achievement with leadership, teamworking and communication skills’ (Milburn report, 2009: 44).

The role of Higher Education in Social Mobility – so what is happening

• Evidence that young people develop these [communication, teamworking and leadership] skills through...extra-curricular activities. BUT • ‘our evidence also suggests that there are fewer opportunities for those from less privileged backgrounds to benefit from such opportunities’ (op cit)

The Research

• HEA funded project looking at engagement with extra curricular activities at University amongst different student groups (2007/8)• ‘snap-shot’ approach – 2 yr undergrads from 4 different type of institutions with different demographics.

Ethnicity New University (in London) Institution 1

New University (in London) Institution 2

Old University (in London) Institution 1

Old University (campus based in the counties) Institution 2

Asian 20 22 23 2

Black 15 18 11 1

Non- UK 14 12 7 17

Other 3 6 5 4

White 43 40 54 74

Not Known 5 2 0 2

Institution type

New Old

count % count %

Age: ≤ 21 years old 210 62 228 79

Mature students 129 38 59 21

Gender: Males 141 41 145 51

Females 203 59 141 49

Disability: Disabled 6 2 8 3

Learning needs 16 5 26 9

Ethnicity: White 148 43 243 86

Ethnic minority 195 57 41 14

SES: Class 3b-5* 77 25 57 21

Class 1-3aI** 231 75 210 79

Courses: Vocational 259 75 86 30

Academic 85 25 201 70

Religion: No 114 33 182 64

Yes 227 67 103 36

n = 344 287

Un

ive

rsit

y t

yp

e

new university

old universities

Mean days per week (5-point likert scale)543210

See FriendsStudyInternet CommunitiesLibraryFilmsFamily committmentsShops/cafesSportMusical activitiesPrayer/WorshipPubs/bars

Employed

Totalno yesClass category

Lower SES

39.1% 60.9% 100.0%

Higher SES54.4% 45.6% 100.0%

Total

50.9% 49.1% 100.0%

• ECAs engaged in at the old universities are offering more opportunities for social interaction. Students at the older universities, which are campus-based, do significantly more ECAs that are based around their university sites , whereas those at the new university, which is spread around multiple city-based campuses, do significantly more solitary ECAs . •Furthermore, those studying at the new university are less likely to say that their commitments and activities provide them with a good support network of friends compared to those at the old universities.

Ethnic backgroundNot BlackBlack

Mea

n (

5-p

oin

t lik

ert

scal

e)

4

3

2

1

0

Days per week in pubs/bars

Days per week in paid employment

I have made good friends at work (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

Days per week keeping family commitments

My commitments and activities provide me with a good support network of friends (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

Days per week in Prayer/Worship

Ethnic backgroundNot AsianAsian

Me

an

da

ys

pe

r w

ee

k (

5-p

oin

t lik

ert

sc

ale

)

4

3

2

1

0

On councils/committees

Visiting the Students' Union

Visitng pubs/bars

Keeping family committments

Visiting the library

Age on entry to university

MatureYoung (<21yrs)

Mean tim

e s

pent per

week (days)

3.2

3

2.8

2.6

2.4

2.2

2

1.8

In Prayer/Worship

Keeping family committments

Visiting the library

Mature students are spending more time in the library, with family and in prayer

• It’s not enough anymore to get a 2:1, employers want to see these extra things which is why I’ve just signed up for the leadership programme where I’ll be going round local schools and doing voluntary work there. Tracey, Business, ‘Russell Group’ NE

It’s [university radio] enabled me to communicate with people and work as a group. You never really do a solo radio show, it’s always a team effort, and it's really complicated so you have to be happy to rely on and ask for help from others, which is something I have had to learn to do. Oli, Psychology, ‘1960s University’ Scotland Honestly I was a bit of a loner when I got here, not much confidence. I had just moved to [] and didn’t fit into the whole gang culture thing. I joined the law society and made the effort more to approach people and make them understand who I am, I got friends through that and became more confident. Suzie, Law, ‘Post-92’ SE

• My university life tips towards the studying about 80:20 because I rarely go out. I’m happy with that as it’s for a very good cause, this is going towards a very good degree and a very good job at the end of it. And there’s a time for everything, now it’s to study. Kwame, Law, ‘Post-92’ SE

The socialising that we did around the campus most definitely did make me feel like a part of the uni, meeting with other students and other campuses, there was a strong sense of community and it was very rewarding to experience the different cultures of the different campuses. Sean, ‘Post ’92’ Alumni

• The friendships I made at university have helped me in the sense that I’ve made so many contacts out of it. I’ve got friends in industry who’ve come to me for help and advice about different computing equipment, and those business relationships have grown through friendships, so that’s really important, to draw on these resources and networks, that’s really helped me. Ravi, ‘Post ’92’ Alumni

• Obviously the degree is important because everyone has to have at least a 2:1, it’s very important for them to have that level of ability because unless you’ve been unlucky, then lower than that really shows a lower level of ability. Hannah, Communications software

• Some of them seem to think a 2:1 is enough, which may be true for some companies but not for ours. They don’t understand that we’re viewing 1000’s of applicants with a 2:1 and they need something extra to stand out from the crowd. Laura, Audit/tax/advisory

• We actually do understand that not many graduates can get relevant work experience so we do pay attention to their hobbies, we’ll be looking at any personal project such as helping a friend promote an event with digital media, or developing online social networks, online business, as long as they’re relevant to the job. Alice, Internet digital marketing

• So if this wider HE ‘experience’ is vital – why is it so socio-economically/culturally driven and what can we do about it?

• White middle-class students ‘belonged’ and as Bourdieu and Wacquant (1992) suggest ‘when a habitus encounters a social world of which it is the product it is like it is a ‘fish in water’, it does not feel the weight of the water and it takes the world for granted’ (127).

• Pay attention to cultural and social differences• Be aware of what students are doing ‘after class’• Engage students in debate and reflections about their lives and the HE Field• Create an environment where there is opportunity for all students