Joanna Williams

The neoliberal regime in English higher education: charters, consumers and the erosion of the public good

The restructuring of higher education (HE) according to neoliberal market principles has constructed the student consumer as a social category, thereby altering the nature, purpose and values of HE. In England, a key government attempt to champion the rights of the student consumer has taken the form of institutional charters which indicate the level of services students can expect to receive and what they will be expected to do in return. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptual framework is applied to analyse the dynamics of practice in the context of the intensification of marketisation in English universities. The impact on student identities and learning processes, on the curriculum and on the academic practices of faculty is explored. By studying the production of institutional information related to charters, a particular image of the ‘good’ student is promoted to prospective students, which simultaneously regulates current student expectations. We argue that the marketisation of learning may result in passive and instrumental learners, a reduction in the range of disciplinary knowledge and a deterrence of innovation in teaching practices, all of which impact on the public good functions of universities.

Constructing social inclusion through further education – the dangers of instrumentalism

This article explores, through an analysis of key policy documents, the construction of the political concepts of social exclusion and inclusion through further education (FE). During the first decade of the New Labour government the concepts of social exclusion and inclusion have undergone a process of active construction. In between The Learning Age and Raising Expectations, different political concerns come to the fore. Whereas in 1998 social exclusion encompassed the broad category of ‘disadvantaged people’ and reducing social exclusion was linked firmly to promoting employability, by 2007 interest with the socially excluded was more specifically focused upon ‘16–17 year olds not in education, employment or training’, and FE was to promote social inclusion, in part, through challenging anti‐social behaviour. Three main models of constructing inclusion emerge: instrumental, social and psychological. This article examines the impact of the instrumental model and argues that focusing FE upon the needs of the economy provides a narrow concept of inclusion and a degraded view of education.

A critical exploration of changing definitions of public good in relation to higher education

Discussion of the relationship between higher education (HE) and public good can be traced to Kants argument that universities critically held society to account. Mill, Newman and Arnold suggested knowledge itself was a public good. In the twentieth century, economists argued education could drive national technological progress. More recently the public good of HE has been linked to social justice through increasing social mobility. In this paper I explore how the definition of public good has shifted over time and how UK government HE policies have incorporated these changes. I argue policy shifts have had an impact in altering the social contract between universities and the state. I suggest that current policy and practice is moving universities away from Arendts notion that educators have a moral and social responsibility to inculcate new generations into the pre-existing knowledge of society and onto more individualised outcomes.

Skill as metaphor: an analysis of terminology used in Success for All and 21st Century Skills

This paper considers the significance of the term ‘skills’ in recent policy documents concerning the future developments of post‐16 education. This paper argues that the skills debate, as outlined in Success For All and 21st Century Skills, comprises two dominant discourses: it is considered necessary for youngsters to gain skills for their personal employability and the nations increased prosperity; and the acquisition of skills by students is judged vital for social inclusion and a coherent society. The documents present these dual objectives as being inextricably linked. Treating the signifier ‘skill’ as a metaphor helps expose the ideology behind the Labour Governments thinking on further education (FE). Skills are used to symbolize something of material worth, with a specific exchange value; a tangible product, like a natural resource; social capital; or education and learning. This paper deconstructs these four metaphorical uses of the term skills, within an analysis of Success For All and 21st Century Skills.

Raising expectations or constructing victims? Problems with promoting social inclusion through lifelong learning

Whilst in government, New Labour defined social exclusion as a state of ‘disadvantage’ resulting from individual psychology: namely, low aspirations, a lack of self-confidence or moral deviancy. Engagement in lifelong learning was considered a means of promoting social inclusion and of overcoming such disadvantage. This policy review explores how such a psychological approach to post-compulsory education impacts upon the more traditional educational and vocational goals of the sector. A critical discourse analysis of relevant government documents as well as interviews with key policy makers, suggests that New Labour’s policy may have had the unintended consequence of constructing psychological disadvantage amongst groups defined as socially excluded. A focus upon ameliorating the perceived psychological vulnerabilities of socially excluded groups may risk denying those targeted access to genuine educational provision or may create a culture of dependency upon formal educational institutions.

Where’s the learning in lifelong participation?

This article provides a retrospective review and analysis of New Labour’s policies in relation to lifelong learning. New Labour’s plans to promote social inclusion through lifelong learning resulted in a focus upon participation in terms of increasing the numbers of students involved in formal learning and increasing their participation in classroom activities. Engaging in lifelong learning is considered to have broader social benefits for individuals and society, above and beyond purely academic or vocational gains, such as reduced crime and better health and the creation of a more tolerant society. The most frequently cited social benefit from participation in lifelong learning is increased engagement with one’s local community. In what could be seen as a positive move away from an instrumental focus upon employability, this article suggests that participation in lifelong learning has been used by New Labour to promote further participation in the community. This shifts the focus of learning away from the acquisition of skills or knowledge (or indeed any outcome) onto the act of participation. This article questions whether lifelong learning has become reduced to lifelong participation.

A review of the Higher Education Close Up 5 conference

This essay aims to provide a critical overview of the main themes to emerge from the Higher Education Close Up 5 conference held at Lancaster University in July 2010. The conference explored the relationship between theory and method in higher education (HE) research. This essay focuses upon four themes that developed from the proceedings. I begin by considering the emergence of HE research as a field of study, and then look at the theoretical and methodological approaches which could, perhaps, help to define the field. I then explore the extent to which HE researchers can rely upon the work of one thinker to provide a theoretical underpinning to their work or whether we should instead be prepared to exercise a degree of instrumentalism in our decision to adopt certain theoretical approaches over others. Finally, I consider how we can (and whether we should) theorise silences and absences in our research.

Defending Knowledge as the Public Good of Higher Education

One welcome consequence of the global drive to shift the funding of higher education (HE) away from national governments and onto individual students is a growing debate about the role of a university, and the nature of the outcomes higher education produces both for individuals and society more broadly.

Free to Be Critical

While the rhetoric of academic freedom continues to be upheld in higher education, discerning particular principles that lie behind the words can often be difficult. It can sometimes seem as if a lightly held but frequent recantation of the mantra of academic freedom is no more than a necessary rite for legitimate entry into the scholarly community. In practice, academic freedom is often misunderstood, rejected as elitist or redefined beyond all recognition, until the point at which individual scholars seek a defence of their own position.

From Academic Freedom to Academic Justice

The legacy of history continues to compel many scholars to hold an emotional attachment to the rhetoric of academic freedom. It is drawn upon, often in a seemingly arbitrary manner, to defend particular individuals, to challenge political legislation or to question the influence of private donors. However, as the previous chapters in this book have shown, recent years have witnessed a reappraisal of academic freedom and its significance to the pursuit of knowledge. Today, the concept of academic freedom is, on occasion, openly criticized. It stands accused of propagating a ‘neo-liberal’ view of the scholar as an autonomous individual, travelling free from experiences of prejudice, unencumbered by practical and emotional commitments, through a politically neutral intellectual terrain. Academic freedom stands accused of reinforcing the right to a platform for those who are already in dominant positions while doing nothing to challenge the structural inequalities that make it more difficult for less powerful groups to have their voices heard.