TY - JOUR
T1 - Widening participation in Scotland 1997-2021
T2 - A semi-systematic literature review and avenues for further research
AU - O'Toole, Michelle
AU - Dunnett, Susan
AU - Brennan, Mary
AU - Calvard, Thomas
AU - Fakeyeva, Liudmila
N1 - Funding Information:
Our analysis shows that the vast majority of scholarly output on WP in Scotland comes from educational specialists with limited disciplinary input into how WP plays out within and across, academic schools and disciplines. This is despite all HE academic schools and disciplines being involved in recruiting, supporting and organising WP students onto their degrees and through university. This is arguably a symptom of the applicant/student being expected to fit the existing HE system, and that the system has seemingly done very little analysis of itself. To address this, we call for more interdisciplinary WP research collaborations that bring together educational and disciplinary experts to explore how programmes of study and host academic schools and disciplines shape the HE experiences of WP students across admittance, transition, capital acquisition, co‐ and extra curricula access and provision, academic learning, progression and attainment, and graduate outcomes. We recommend that HE institutions invest more into learning how their processes, practices and support systems work with or—as the literature has touched upon—more often, against, the circumstances of WP students. Areas ripe for investigation include modes of study (e.g. predominance of full‐time), special circumstances processes (e.g. multiple retrospective form filling), required resources (e.g. IT equipment, stable WiFi, private study space, studio equipment), regulatory requirements and financial support.
Funding Information:
This work was carried out under a SMARTEN network grant.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. British Educational Research Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association.
PY - 2024/8
Y1 - 2024/8
N2 - This article sets out and critically analyses the state of current knowledge on Widening Participation at higher education institutions in Scotland and sets forth avenues for further research. Through a semi-systematic review of the literature, six discrete but overlapping themes relating to Widening Participation are identified, namely, (1) factors affecting the decision to apply to university, (2) the transition from high school or further education into university, (3) contextualised admissions, (4) completion and level of attainment, (5) economic, social and cultural capital and (6) equality, diversity and inclusion. The study finds that while clear progress has been made by higher education institutionstowards achieving quantitative government targets for student recruitment from underrepresented groups, there is an absence of studies and knowledge about the qualitative lived experiences of students as they transition through university, how students negotiate a sense of fit with institutional systems, and what targeted supports they may require to succeed. Avenues for further research which addresses these gaps in the knowledge base are put forward, namely, (1) broaden the academic base and interdisciplinarity of Widening Participation research, (2) reform and extend measures of success beyond admissions and attainment, (3) evolve institutional level support for transition into higher education, (4) develop more nuanced understandings of contextualised admissions and (5) investigate and gain deeper understandings of how the lived experiences of Widening Participation students shape and inform their journey through, experience of and attainment at university.
AB - This article sets out and critically analyses the state of current knowledge on Widening Participation at higher education institutions in Scotland and sets forth avenues for further research. Through a semi-systematic review of the literature, six discrete but overlapping themes relating to Widening Participation are identified, namely, (1) factors affecting the decision to apply to university, (2) the transition from high school or further education into university, (3) contextualised admissions, (4) completion and level of attainment, (5) economic, social and cultural capital and (6) equality, diversity and inclusion. The study finds that while clear progress has been made by higher education institutionstowards achieving quantitative government targets for student recruitment from underrepresented groups, there is an absence of studies and knowledge about the qualitative lived experiences of students as they transition through university, how students negotiate a sense of fit with institutional systems, and what targeted supports they may require to succeed. Avenues for further research which addresses these gaps in the knowledge base are put forward, namely, (1) broaden the academic base and interdisciplinarity of Widening Participation research, (2) reform and extend measures of success beyond admissions and attainment, (3) evolve institutional level support for transition into higher education, (4) develop more nuanced understandings of contextualised admissions and (5) investigate and gain deeper understandings of how the lived experiences of Widening Participation students shape and inform their journey through, experience of and attainment at university.
KW - admissions
KW - higher education institutions
KW - Scotland
KW - widening participation
U2 - 10.1002/berj.3991
DO - 10.1002/berj.3991
M3 - Article
SN - 0141-1926
VL - 50
SP - 1655
EP - 1675
JO - British Educational Research Journal
JF - British Educational Research Journal
IS - 4
ER -