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Pauline Whelanhttp://www.wphe.org
Centre for Social and Educational Research across the Life Course
Leeds Metropolitan University
Stratification, Marketisation and Social Inequalities:
Widening Participation in Higher Education in England
Overview
Institutional Stratification and Widening Participation Intensification of marketisation of English HE ->
Intensification of processes of institutional stratification (Brown, 2012)
What are the implications for WP? How does institutional stratification relate to WP?
Institutional mediation of national WP policy How do institutions variously adopt and reject elements of
national policy? How do approaches/interpretations/discourses of WP vary
across the sector? Two Key Areas of Analysis
WP ‘Performances’ Institutional discourses across official documentation
(WPSAs: 20 institutions: 2009)
Marketisation and Stratification
Intensification of marketisation -> increased institutional stratification:
“If there is one thing on which nearly everyone who has studied the Government’s reforms agrees, it is that these will produce a more stratified sector, with much greater differences in institutional resourcing and esteem” (Brown, 2012)
“the…pursuit of stratified forms of institutional diversity…mitigates against the fostering of (an equitable form of) student diversity (i.e., a system in which all students are equally valued and have access to equal status forms of provision)” (Archer, 2007)
The ‘perverse’ enactment of WP (Jary & Thomas, 1999) Majority of WP students located at ‘less prestigious’ universities Where/what are WP students gaining access to?
WP Context
National PolicyWithin a broad national policy context of competing definitions and conflicting agendas, there is considerable institutional autonomy around approaches to WPInstitutions
o “Elite institutions are able to maintain their power and prestige precisely because they are largely released from any responsibility to substantially engage in WP” (Archer, 2007)
Students “Working-class young people and adults possess a
commonsense knowledge of the hierarchy of institutions and they ‘know’ that this hierarchy offers them a ‘bum deal’ in that only ‘crap’ universities…are open to them” (Archer, 2007)
WP and Institutional ‘Type’
Variation in WP Approach by Institutional ‘Type’ Location, mission, history, market position and institutional self-
identity (Shaw et al, 2007) Tripartite HE system: ‘Bronze’, ‘Silver’, ‘Gold’ institutions
(Ainley 2003; Archer, 2007) ‘Selecting’ vs ‘Recruiting’/‘Old’ vs ‘New’/Pre and Post 92
Universities (Graham, 2010) Russell Group vs All Other HEIs (Boliver, 2012) Oxbridge focus (e.g. Oxford Admissions: Zimdars, 2010) Mission Groups (HESA Statistics, Mission Group Publications)
Different discourses/models of how WP is approached within HEIs Academic, utilitarian, transformative approaches (Jones &
Thomas, 2005) Academic, differential provision, transformative models (Shaw
et al, 2007)
Exploring Variation across HEIs
Critical Mixed Methods Approach: combining quantitative analysis of WP ‘performance indicators’ and discourse analysis of institutional documentation
WP ‘Performance’ Data of HEIs Official HESA statistics for all English HEIs for 2002-2010
analysed by mission group Analysis of institutional discourses around WP
‘performances’ (Access Agreements, 2009)WP Institutional Discourses
Widening Participation Strategic Assessments (2009) Aspects of stratification constructed/perpetuated by WP
institutional discourses of admissions
WP ‘Performance’ Data
Dearing Report (1997, Recommendation 58): “Funding bodies and representative bodies develop appropriate
performance indicators and benchmarks for families of institutions with similar characteristics and aspirations “
Accountability, inform budgeting, information dissemination, incentivise institutions (Pugh et al, 2005)
PIs and benchmarks published annually; HEFCE 1999-2002; HESA 2002->
OFFA established in 2004, ‘safeguards fair access’ via approval of Access agreements, 2 powers to sanction institutions (never used); 4/5ths of HEIs used WP PIs in 2010 to report to OFFA
WP Performances and Mission GroupThe ‘Nuclear Option’
Les Ebdon appointed as Director of OFFA in March 2012“Professor Ebdon…responded by laying down the
gauntlet to highly-selective universities with “patchy” records on access, saying that he would be prepared to use the “nuclear option” of stopping institutions from charging higher fees if they did not measure up.” (Times Higher, 8 February 2012)
“We sincerely hope that the new director of OFFA will come to recognise the tough challenges we face in trying to widen access” (Wendy Piatt, Russell Group, 2012)
“it is right that they[universities] should continue to consider how well they are doing and this is one of the important roles for the new Director for Fair Access.” (Prof Michael Driscoll, million+, 2012)
WP ‘Performances’– HESA View
Performance Indicators published annually by HESA for each HEI
“Performance Indicators are a range of statistical indicators intended to offer an objective measure of how a higher education institution (HEI) is performing. They are not 'league tables' and do not attempt to compare all HEIs against a ‘gold standard’ or against each other …”
(HESA, Guide to PIs, 2011) Widening Participation Performance Indicators of HEI’s
Young (under 21) full-time undergraduate entrants by 3 social-class proxies: state schools, low participation neighbourhoods and NS-SEC 4-7
Performance indicators are also produced for disabled students, mature students and part-time students
WP Benchmarks – HESA View
Benchmarks, produced annually by HESA, “allow direct comparisons to be made both between institutions, and between an institution and the sector” (HESA, 2012)
Two benchmarking aims:1. “To see how well an HEI is performing compared to
the HE sector as a whole.”2. “To decide whether to compare two institutions”
(HESA, 2012)“The benchmarks are not targets.” (HESA, PIs: Adjusted
sector benchmarks, 2012) (…but we know that they are generally used as targets:
4/5ths of HEIs used PIs in 2010 to report to OFFA)
PI and Benchmark HEI Example
Example, 2010/2011, Percentage of young (under 21) full-time undergraduate entrants:
HEI State Schools (%)
NS-SEC 4-7 (%)
Low Participation Neighbourhoods
(%)
Edge Hill University
98.7 (95.9 / 97.1)
41.1 (38.4 / 38.6)
19.8 (14.1 / 18.2)
University of Cambridge
59.0 (71.1 / 68.8)
10.6 (15.9 / 15.9)
3.1 (4.8 / 4.2)
Institutional WP ‘Performances’
Analysis of all Performance Indicators for all HEFCE-funded HEIs in England for the period 2002-2010 by mission group PIs - one of the key ways by which institutional widening
participation ‘performances’ are assessed and monitored 4/5ths of HEIs used PIs in 2010 to report to OFFA
Analysis of the institutional discourses around Widening Participation Performance Indicators
Mission Groups Russell Group: “leading UK universities” 1994 Group: “internationally renowned, research-intensive universities” University Alliance: “a group of 23 major, business-engaged universities” million+: “enable people from every walk of life to benefit from access to
universities that excel in teaching, research and knowledge transfer”
WP PIs and Benchmarks 2002-2010
WP PIs and Benchmarks from 2002-2010; averaged for each mission group Relative differences between missions groups for WP PIs and
benchmarks Relative differences in average performance levels against
average benchmarks by mission groupIntersection of mission group and WP ‘performances’Note: not concerned with intra-mission group
differences or absolute measures of ‘performance’ Focus here is on the mission group level not on individual
institutions Proxies for social-class have changed over the years, therefore
incomparable
PIs 2002-2010
See website http://www.wphe.org/wp-benchmarks/2002-2010-ns-sec-with-weighted-location-adjusted-average-benchmarkRelative differences across mission groups
consistent over the last 8 years General mission group trends:
Consistent relative mission group ‘performances’ over time Russell Group and 1994 Group consistently perform below
their benchmarks Russell Group and 1994 Group have average benchmarks
which are considerably lower than other groups Million+ and University Alliance consistently achieve above
their benchmarks
PIs, Benchmarks and Status
Different benchmarks for ‘similar’ institutions principle legitimises the disparities across institutions and mission groups
Different expectations for WP performances across mission groups contributes to social inequalities in HE and exacerbates hierarchical stratification of HE sector
Language of justification for missing ‘targets’ indicates how PIs intersect heavily with discourses of status e.g.: “According to the latest performance indicators (2005/06
data), 75.9% of the University’s young full-time first degree entrants came from state school backgrounds. Uni B’s benchmark for their admission was 78.4%. This figure is higher than the benchmark applied to almost all of the research intensive, highly academically selective institutions with which the University would normally compare itself. Uni B is therefore proving more attractive to state sector students than many of its peer institutions.” (Access Agreement, 2009, Uni B)
WP Institutional Discourses
How do WP institutional discourses relate to the stratification of the HE sector?
Official WP Institutional discourses: Widening Participation Strategic Assessments, Access Agreements (2009) Dominant Discourses of Targeting/Admissions How do dominant discourses relate to institutional
positioning in a stratified sector? Evidence of the pressures of marketisation or
stratification of the sector?
Institutional WP Discourses
WPSAs of 20 HEIs: 7 Russell Group, 5 1994 Group, 4 million+, 2 University
Alliance, 2 Not Aligned RG & 1994 Group HEIs occupy top league table positions
(All in Top 200 ‘World Universities’) ‘Selecting’, ‘Old’, Pre 92 HEIs
>30% of HEFCE Recurrent Grant for Research (RG & 1994) vs <=5% (Post 92s)
2009 Widening Participation Strategic Assessments ‘a flexible form of reporting’ (HEFCE, 2009), which could
reflect the diversity of approaches to WP practices and policies across institutions
Dominant Discourses of WP Recruitment/Admissions
1. Required Individual Ability + Required Individual Potential => Desirable WP Student
• “We will recruit our students solely on the basis of their ability and potential to succeed within the learning environment that we offer”
• “We must therefore continue our broad-based admissions policies, selecting on merit alone, but always with a view to the potential for achievement”
2. Required Individual Potential => Desirable WP Student• “attract and retain students, from a wide and diverse community,
who have the potential to succeed and benefit from the experience”
• “it remains committed to providing opportunities for those from historically excluded sectors of the population who have the potential to succeed in higher education”
Academic Ability in Admissions Discourse
Present only at Elite/Selecting/More Prestigious Institutions (Selecting by ability uncontested and inevitable as a means to distribute limited places)
Academic ability is assessable (by HEIs)Hierarchized and unevenly distributed among studentsIndividualizedPredictive of future performanceOne exception: Gifted and Talented Discourse present
across all 20 WPSAs (78% of HEIs listed Gifted & Talented students as a target category, the third most frequently invoked category; Action on Access, 2009)
Ability Discourse at ‘Leading Institutions’
Exclusively appealing to the highly ‘able’ and ‘talented’: “helping to ensure that [Russell Group University] is
accessible and attractive to all talented students, irrespective of background”
“attract and retain academically gifted and highly motivated students from a wide range of backgrounds, creating a diverse and international University community”
Ability Discourse intersects with Discourses of Institutional Status “to attract the very best learners from around the UK and
the rest of the world and offer them a world-class education.” (Russell Group University)
”To continue to attract and develop the most able students and staff worldwide” (Russell Group University)
Dominant Discourses and Institutional Positioning
Academic ability bound to widening participation discourse across ‘elite’ institutions (Russell Group, 1994 Group)
Market pressures to be perceived as a ‘high quality’ institution enacted in discourses of heightened ability attributes - ‘most able’, ‘brightest and best’ students - which are seen as necessary characteristics of leading institutions “Aims to attract and recruit those students with the highest
academic ability” Absence (and in some cases explicit rejection) of
‘ability’ discourses at Post 92 universities:o “For this university, widening participation was not just a
process of ‘talent spotting’ ” (Post 92, WPSA, 2009)
Conclusion
WP is variously discursively enacted across the sector, permitted by competing national policy agendas, conflicting philosophies and a considerable degree of institutional autonomy around how WP is approached/enacted.
Existing mechanisms and measures of WP ‘performances’ legitimise disparities, intersect with discourses of institutional status, and exacerbate sector stratification
‘Ability’ discourse of WP bound to accounts of institutional image/status/prestige and linked to the pressures of the market
The current intensification of the marketisation of English HE increases the importance of understanding the relationship between institutional stratification and WP
Is there still hope for WP in an increasingly marketised and stratified sector?
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