Programme full

Thursday 16 April 2016 15:30 - 17:00
PAPER SESSION 6 / PECHA KUCHA SESSIONS
Paired Peers is a 6 year Leverhulme trust funded qualitative project, tracking the transitions of a cohort of 80
undergraduates to, through and from university. The students, half from University of Bristol and half from UWE
Bristol, were paired by class background and subject to enable meaningful comparisons of their experiences. (For
more details see www.bristol.ac.uk/pairedpeers).
The HECSU-funded Futuretrack study followed a large sample of students who embarked on full-time undergraduate
degrees at the full range of UK universities and colleges, through four stages: as HE applicants in 2005/6, after they
had completed their first year, as they approached graduation, and between 18-30 months after graduation. Follow-up
studies of sub-samples are currently being undertaken. The dataset includes details of educational and socioeconomic
background, as well as early career experience (see www.warwick.ac.uk/futuretrack).
Discussant: Professor David James
Higher Education as a Vehicle for Social Mobility? The Relationship between Social Class, Student
Experiences and Graduate Outcomes
Atfield, G., Purcell, K., Elias, P., Behle, H., Ellison, R.
(University of Warwick)
This paper will present primarily quantitative data from the Futuretrack project to assess the relationship between
social class, the types of university students attend, their experiences while in higher education and their subsequent
graduate outcomes. Much is known about the impact of social class on entry to HE, but there has been much less
work on how students from different social backgrounds experience higher education and the impact this has on
graduate outcomes. By examining the participation of students from different social classes in both the academic and
non-academic life of the university, this paper will explore the mechanisms through which higher education can
increase social mobility, but also the mechanisms through which disadvantage may be further perpetuated and
entrenched. The role of four particular aspects of student experience will be assessed: the type of university attended;
attitudes towards academic study and extracurricular experience; the role of higher education in developing selfconfidence;
and geographical mobility. The paper will then go on to investigate the relationship between these
different student experiences and transitions into the labour market. Why do graduates from different socio-economic
backgrounds seem to benefit differently from higher education and possession of a degree? Who gets the ‘top jobs’,
and why?
Narratives of Class, Gender and Institutional Inequalities in Graduate Destinations
Bradley, H., Abrahams, J. Ingram, N.
(University of the West of England)
This paper will share some stories from a cohort of recent university graduates from the Paired Peers project as they
attempt to make the transition into the labour market. The students (of mixed gender and class background)
graduated from two different types of institutions - a Russell group and a post 92. We draw upon their narratives in
pairs to highlight in depth the specific processes of inequality prevalent throughout their university and graduate
transitional experiences. This is illustrated through case studies of 3 pairs of young people each representing a story
of class, gender or institutional inequality. Their narratives demonstrate that some young people find the transition
smoother than others. For many this is a story of unexpected struggle; with some able to capitalise on additional
resources to enable them to bounce back, whilst others endure a more prolonged and disconnected pathway.
Through this we will consider the extent to which university itself is a force for social mobility and whether gender,
background and/or specific university attended are restricting or furthering opportunities on the labour market.
How Do Gender, Social Class and Motherhood Affect the Labour Market Outcomes of Student Mothers?
Lyonette, C., Atfield, G., Behle, H., Gambin, L.
(University of Warwick)
Using quantitative data from the Futuretrack project, as well as new semi-structured interviews, we assess the
experiences of student mothers aged 21 or over, examining their applications to HE, their experiences within HE and
their early labour market outcomes. In particular, we examine choice of courses and places of study; aspirations on
entry into HE and whether these change over time; why some student mothers drop out of HE; and the key factors
which help or hinder the overall HE experience, all of which are compared with other students from the same cohort.
Crucially, the analysis also examines whether HE increases social mobility for student mothers and their families.
219 BSA Annual Conference 2015
Glasgow Caledonian University