Investigating ‘conflicts’ and ‘freedoms’ in the higher education environment: Unpacking the capabilities and capitals of first-in- family learners HERDSA Conference : [RE]VALUING HIGHER EDUCATION A/Prof Sarah O’Shea University of Wollongong
Today’s Session • Introductions • Background to the project: Exploring first-in-family students – the who , the why and what participants said? • Conflicts and freedoms in HE • Unpacking the capitals and capabilities of learners • Exploring the notion of ‘success’ for learners 2 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Why are you here? 3 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Growth in Student Diversity Images derived from Universities Australia: Data Snapshot 2017. Available from: https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/australias- universities/key-facts-and-data#.WgAyTpOWYb0 4 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Growth in Student Diversity Images derived from Universities Australia: Data Snapshot 2017. Available from: https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/australias-universities/key-facts-and- data#.WgAyTpOWYb0 5 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Why First-in-Family students? Interviewer: When was the ‘…economic and cultural last time you factors may limit the heard someone boundaries of what chat away about individuals consider university? possible for themselves in such a way that a decision John: is never taken and the I don’t think I have ever had agenda need never be set … anyone talk university [is] simply not about it. within the bounds of possibility, either culturally or economically’. (John, 15 years, Adelaide – Harwood, Hickey-Moody, McMahon & (Dyke, 2011, p. 106, emphasis added) O’Shea, 2017 6
Definition For the purposes of this research, first in family status has been defined as: no-one in the immediate family of origin including siblings, children, partners or parents having previously attended a higher education institution or having completed a university degree . 7 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Why first-in-family/ Why now? • 51% • 26% • 34% 8 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
A Global Phenomenon 9 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Why are first-in-family students regarded as being ‘at-risk’? Educational Memory 10 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Why are first-in-family regarded as being ‘at-risk’? • FiF students have to do additional and often invisible ‘work’, such as the need to: … perfect themselves as educated and employable; reassure the family that they have ‘invested wisely’; open up the aspirations and horizons of the family and its community ; represent a triumph of social egalitarianism and ‘prove that everyone can make it’ (Thomas & Quinn, 2007. p59 – emphasis added). 11 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
This research – what is different? • Gaps in understanding about how this group enact success in this environment • A focus on the cultural strengths and capabilities of students • Expanding the lens of analysis to include those close to the students as well 12 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Research Focus This presentation is based upon research conducted via : An Educational Strategies Development Fund (UOW) (O’Shea , 2013) An Australian Office for Learning and Teaching Grant (O’Shea, May & Stone 2014) Breaking the Barriers: supporting and engaging mature age first-in-family university learners and their families An Australian Government Teaching Fellowship (O’Shea, 2015-2016) “Engaging Families to Engage Students": Exploring how university outreach activities can forge productive partnerships with families to assist first in family students navigate their higher education journey. An Australian Research Council Discovery Project (O’Shea, 2017-2019): . “Capitals and Capabilities: Rethinking higher education persistence”. 13 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Data collected Since 2013: Over 180 in-depth interviews conducted with FiF students • from across Australia who are intersected by various equity indicators. Interviews have been complemented by online surveys with • students (n= 487) , family members (n= 93) and surveys from stakeholders in the field (n= 218). 14 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Overall perceptions of university attendance University as not being for ‘people like us’ the ‘us’ being variously described as a ‘ blue-collar family’ (Nigel, 26) and ‘ low income families and families that are not high achievers’ (Ann, 36). A sentiment echoed in some family surveys : My husband and I have successfully raised four children however due to the costs of University we could never afford to send our children…I appreciate what Uni can do in furthering the knowledge of our children but it has always seemed only for the wealthy. (Participant #37, Mother of student daughter, 46, HSC) That it [university] was for people that were able to afford to study (Participant #16, Mother of student daughter, 55, HSC) 15 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Perceptions of HE attendance: What students said: Sense of ‘gratitude’ or ‘feeling lucky’ to have been able to attend • This is one of the greatest experiences of my life and I'm so grateful to be a student at University. It's been my dream for so many years and it's finally coming true every day. (Respondent #133, Female, 30-40 years) Little sense of belonging – often belonging was signified by grades on • assignments: I was like “Maybe I shouldn’t be here, maybe I’m just a fraud”. I was like “Oh my God”…My second assignment. When I got my marks back I think that’s when I was like “Okay, I deserve to be here just like anyone else” (Rose, 28, partnered with 2 children, B.Arts, First Year … to receive a Credit for my first Essay in years was amazing! To then recently receive a High Distinction was incredible. It's made my self confidence sky rocket and truly believe I am cut out for University, even though I come from a family who have barely completed high school. (Respondent #3, Female, 30-40 years) 16 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Perceptions of HE attendance: What family said … Positive : Influential: Mixed reactions: I thought it was good … I A little sad to it made me want thought that she was have her move to follow in her going to be very busy (15 away ... but happy footsteps (sister - year old - survey that she was survey) doing something I felt fine when she wanted to do mum decided to (sister - survey) start university (14 year old – it made me consider survey) furthering my education (sister - Oh very proud of I am proud that she is survey) her, very proud trying to further her and give her all education, however I do the support she worry about her needs and yes, supporting herself (Mum just very proud – survey) of her. (Mum - interview) 17 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Unpacking the capitals of learners: Theoretical framing (O’Shea 2014; 2016) • Strengths-based approach • Draws upon Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework • Yosso (2005) builds upon Bourdieu’s work in order to better understand the intersection of student and institutional capital. Traditional Bourdieuian cultural capital theory…place[s] value on a very narrow range of assets and characteristics. (Yosso, 2005, p.77). 18 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth Framework (2005) Resistant Linguistic Capital Capital Familial Navigational Capital Capital Community Cultural Wealth Aspirational Social Capital Capital 19 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Aspirational capital : individual’s ability to ‘maintain hope and dreams for the future’ despite ‘real and perceived’ obstacles (p.77) –this involves ‘nurturing a culture of possibility’ (p.78). Resistance capital : values and dispositions used to inform oppositional behaviours. Linguistic capital recognises the strengths of communication skills including story telling, bilingualism and the ‘ability to communicate via visual art, music or poetry’ (p.79). Navigational capital: assists movement through social institutions and is premised upon both ‘individual agency’ and ‘social networks’. Social capital: refers to networks that surround people providing both embodied and practical support. Familial capital: recognises those ‘cultural knowledges nurtured among familial (kin)’ (p.79), this includes ‘extended’ family and friends. 20 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
Applying CCW to this research CCW allowed me to: • Deeply explore the ‘voices’ of one group of marginalized students. • Think ‘differently’ about first-in-family student experience and to interrogate data in terms of what first-in-family individuals bring to the university environment and how these types of capitals potentially enable them to enact success. • ‘Think alongside’ the data and identify gaps or ‘silences’ in this framework 21 H ER D W orkshop July 2018
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