Context: Transitions into higher education in Ireland, in context of WP agenda/ massification of higher education. Examines the juxtaposition of equality and quality (dropping standards argument with expansion of HE) by following the transitions of non-traditional/access students and traditional students as they move into an Irish university. Notes popular fears about dumbing down of HE because of WP and critiques of the Irish school system ('assembly-line model of education'; O'Kelly, 2009). Notes literature on 'gap' between school and HE. Argues there is a dearth of empirical work on post-entry experiences of students
Aim:
Theoretical frame: None explicit.
Methodology: Constructivist/ grounded theory. Two groups of students: 1) = 'non-traditional': accessed higher education via Access course (called SLAs; n=23 mix of Year 1-3/ mix of disciplines) and all from lower social class groups; 2) matched group of 'traditional' students = articulated directly from school (TEs) and all from higher social class groups (n=22). Majority of participants = female (32/45) and doing Arts-based courses (34/45). Data collection = demographic questionnaire, 2 x interviews + email follow-up
Findings: 3 themes.
Transitioning from dependence to independence: more SLAs experienced issues with school (many 'hated' it - they perceived their teachers as having low expectations of them); broadly the TEs had positive experiences and were generally expected to go on to further education. Both SLAs and TEs described learning at school as dependent (one student = "'read, remember, regurgitate'", p.710) and spoon-feeding = dominant metaphor used by participants. University learning = stark contrast
Figuring out/ enacting academic practice: both groups = patterns in academic experiences: poor attendance in Year 1, both groups considered dropping out (largely due to social/ work-related issues). Attendance improved for both groups in Years 2 and 3. Participants in both groups = failed modules and had to repeat; issues largely related to maths/statistical requirements of course, stress, workload, writing. TEs struggled more with transition to independence more than SLAs initially and needed process deconstructed. 3 phases identified: regurgitating, experimental enacting, and stable enacting. SLAs experienced some of phase 1 (regurgitation) and moved directly to phase 2. TEs' talk suggests the restricted code of schooling = difficult to replace with independent code/ practices. Second phase generally happened at end of Year 1/ Year 2 for TEs. Partly students (TEs in particular) struggled with this shift because it involved risk (incorporating own reading/ opinions in). Overall both groups received similar results (most achieving 2:1 degrees). Most of both groups = postgrad study or planning to go on to do so.
Impacting factors: similarity in results = explained by 'balancing out' of dis/advantages. SLAs' previous poor school experiences = balanced out by explicit preparation and scaffolding offered in Access course; in contrast, TEs = initially lost because gap between school and university = larger and they needed to do more deconstruction of prior learning than the SLA group (who had largely disengaged from ways of schooling). However, SLAs = lower academic self-confidence
Core argument: Findings challenge deficit views of WP students (actually SLAs were further along the 3-part transferral process due to attending Access course). Author suggests there is a "need for significant system-wide change, including assessment (particularly in terms of the current points system, due to its backwash
effect on pedagogy), and teacher and academic staff development" (p.715).
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