Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life pp 3–31Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Setting the Scene

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 811 Accesses

Abstract

Drawing on international literature on higher education (HE) access and participation, this chapter provides an overview of current research and writing in this field. The ‘widening participation’ agenda is critically reviewed in relation to neo-liberal discourses of the independent learner and the ‘risky’ nature of university deconstructed. The chapter describes the epistemological and ontological foundations for the studies that inform this publication, and details the methodologies and theoretical framings adopted by the researchers. This book is premised upon the recognition that all learners are complex entities, intersected by various demographic and social factors. In recognition of this, the chapter aims to provide insight into a range of historical, political and cultural factors that may have impacted upon the Australian students who participated in this research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • ACER. (2013). Higher education update (Vol. 11). Sydney: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M. (2002). Postmodernism and social research. Buckingham: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M., & Skoldberg, K. (2000). Reflexive methodology. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Archer, L. (2007). Diversity, equality and higher education: A critical reflection on the ab/uses of equity discourse within widening participation. Teaching in Higher Education, 12(5–6), 635–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Australian Government. (2015). Education Legislation Amendment (Overseas Debt Recovery) Bill 2015 [and] Student Loans (Overseas Debtors Repayment Levy) Bill 2015. Available from: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1516a/16bd043. Accessed 31 Oct 2015.

  • Baxter, A., & Britton, C. (2001). Risk, identity and change: Becoming a mature student. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 11(1), 87–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, W. G., Chingos, M. M., & McPherson, M. S. (2009). Crossing the finish line: Completing college at America’s public universities. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H., & Scales, B. (2008). Review of Australian higher education: Final report (Bradley review). Canberra: DEEWR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brine, J., & Waller, R. (2004). Working-class women on an access course: Risk, opportunity and (re)constructing identities. Gender and Education, 16(1), 97–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Britton, C., & Baxter, A. (1999). Becoming a mature student: Gendered narratives of self. Gender and Education, 11(2), 179–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cassells, R., Duncan, A., Abello, A., D’Souza, G., & Nepal, B. (2012). Smart Australians: Education and innovation in Australia (AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Report, Vol. 32). Melbourne: AMP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charmaz, K. (2000). Objectivist and constructivist methods. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 509–535). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory – A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London/Thousand Oaks/New Delhi: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clandinin, D. W., & Connelly, M. F. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coates, H., & Ransom, L. (2011). Dropout DNA, and the genetics of effective support (AUSSE Research briefings, Vol. 11, pp. 1–16). Available from: http://research.acer.edu.au/ausse/1/. Accessed 15 Apr 2014.

  • Cox, E. M., & Ebbers, L. H. (2010). Exploring the persistence of adult women at a midwest community college. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 34(4), 337–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croll, P. (2004). Families, social capital and educational outcomes. British Journal of Educational Studies, 52(4), 390–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, A., Lewis, P., Corliss, M., & Heaslip, T. (2015). The private rate of return to a university degree in Australia. Australian Journal of Education, 59(1), 97–112. doi:10.1177/0004944114565117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • David, M. (2012). Changing policy discourses on equity and diversity in UK higher education: What is the evidence? In T. Hinton-Smith (Ed.), Widening participation in higher education: Casting the net wide? (pp. 22–35). London: Palgrave MacMillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Debenham, J., & May, J. (2005). Making connections: A dialogue about learning and teaching in a tertiary enabling program. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 45(1), 82–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • DIICCSRTE. (2013). Budget. Portfolio budget statements 2013 _ 14 (Budget related paper No. 1.12). Available from: http://www.industry.gov.au/AboutUs/Budget/Documents/PortfolioBudgetStatementsDIICCSRTE2013-14.pdf. Accessed 14 Oct 2015.

  • Edel, J. N. (2012–2013). The pyrrhic victory of American higher education: Bubbles, lemons and revolution. 88 Notre Dame Law Review, 88(3), 1543–1580.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, D., & McMillan, J. (2015). Completing university in a growing sector: Is equity an issue? Melbourne: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Australia; Sydney: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gale, T., & Parker, S. (2013). Widening participation in Australian higher education. Leicester: Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office of Fair Access (OFFA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, B. (1997). Disciplining students: The construction of student subjectivities. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18, 101–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwald, R. (2012). Think of first-generation students as pioneers, not problems. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Available from: http://chronicle.com/article/Think-of-First-Generation/135710. Accessed 10 Apr 2015.

  • Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (2003). Postmodern interviewing. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hare, J. (2015). Runaway loans: Students set to owe $70bn. The Australian.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hey, V. (2003). Joining the club? Academia and working-class femininities. Gender and Education, 15(3), 319–335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ivanič, R. (1998). Writing and identity: The discoursal construction of identity in academic writing (Vol. 5). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, R., & Merrill, B. (2009). Developing learning identities for working class adult students in higher education. In B. Merrill (Ed.), Learning to change? The role of identity and learning careers in adult education. Oxford: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, G. (1998). Does higher education need revision? The Review of Higher Education, 23(3), 267–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, H. (1997) Learning works: Widening participation in further education. The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC). Available from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9063796.pdf. Accessed 5 Apr 2015.

  • Kirkup, G. (1996). The importance of gender. In A. Tait & R. Mills (Eds.), Supporting the learner in open and distance learning (pp. 146–164). London/Washington, DC: Pitman Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koshy, P. (2014). Student equity performance in Australian higher education: 2007 to 2012. Perth: NCSEHE Curtin University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leathwood, C. (2006). Gender, equity and the discourse of the independent learner in higher education. Higher Education, 52(4), 611–633.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leathwood, C., & O’Connell, P. (2003). ‘It’s a struggle’: The construction of the ‘new student’ in higher education. Journal of Education Policy, 18(6), 597–615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, J., & Bunn, R. J. (2015). 1974–1976: The seeds of longevity in a pathway to tertiary participation at University of Newcastle, NSW. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 55, 135–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J., & Thomson, R. (2009). Researching social change: Qualitative approaches. London: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, J. (2005). Course change and attrition from higher education (LSAY Research Report No. 39). Melbourne: ACER.

    Google Scholar 

  • Middleton, S. (2003). Top of their class? On the subject of “Education” doctorates. In M. Tamboukou & S. J. Ball (Eds.), Dangerous encounters, genealogy and ethnography (pp. 38–55). New York: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Shea, S. (2014). Transitions and turning points: How first in family female students story their transition to university and student identity formation. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(2), 135–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Shea, S. (2015). Arriving, surviving and succeeding – Exploring the first year of university. Journal of College Student Development, 56(5), 497–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Shea, S & Delahunty, J. (2015). Unpublished transcript from focus group interviews with students who are first in their community to attend university. Sydney: Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2001). Economics and finance of lifelong learning. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polkinghorne, D. E. (1995). Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(1), 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, J. (2005). Belonging in a learning community: The re-imagined university and imagine social capital. Studies in the Education of Adults, 37(1), 4–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rauscher, E., & Elliott III, W. (2014). The effects of wealth inequality on higher education outcomes: A critical review. Sociology Mind, 4, 282–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Read, B., Archer, L., & Leathwood, C. (2003). Challenging cultures? Student conceptions of ‘belonging’ and ‘isolation’ at a post-1992 university. Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 261–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reay, D. (1998). Surviving in dangerous places: Working-class women, women’s studies and higher education. Women’s Studies International Forum, 21(1), 11–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reay, D. (2003). A risky business? Mature working-class women students and access to higher education. Gender and Education, 15(3), 301–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reay, D., Davies, J., David, M., & Ball, S. (2001). Choices of degree or degrees of choice? Class, ‘race’ and the higher education choice process. Sociology, 35(4), 855–874.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rendon, L. (1998). Helping nontraditional students be successful in college. About Campus, 3(1), 2–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice, P., & Ezzy, D. (2000). Qualitative research methods. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwandt, T. A. (1994). Three epistemological stances for qualitative inquiry. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 189–211). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, J., Clegg, S., & Lefever, R. (2010). The discourse of widening participation and its critics: An institutional case study. London Review of Education, 8(2), 105–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, C. (2008). Listening to individual voices and stories – The mature age student experience. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 48(2), 263–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone, C., & O’Shea, S. (2012). Transformations and self-discovery: Women returning to study. Champaign: Common Ground Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone, C., & O’Shea, S. (2013). Time, money, leisure and guilt – The gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 53(1), 95–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terenzini, P., Cabrera, A., & Bernal, E. (2001). Swimming against the tide: The poor in American higher education. New York: College Entrance Examinations Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1995). Learning communities and the reconstruction of the first year experience. Paper presented at the Inaugural Pacific Rim First Year Experience Conference: Travelling Through Transition, Queensland University of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (2002, June 20). Establishing conditions for student success. Paper presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the European Access Network, Monash University, Prato.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, M. (2008). Widening participation; Widening capability. London Review of Education, 6(3), 267–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, P., Winn, S., & Fyvie-Gauld, M. (2005). ‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’: The role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 30(6), 707–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Sarah O’Shea & Janine Delahunty

  2. University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia

    Josephine May & Cathy Stone

Authors
  1. Sarah O’Shea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Josephine May
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cathy Stone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Janine Delahunty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

O’Shea, S., May, J., Stone, C., Delahunty, J. (2017). Setting the Scene. In: First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58284-3_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58284-3_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58283-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58284-3

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation