Liz Thomas

Student Retention in Higher Education: The role of institutional habitus

This paper examines some of the issues surrounding student retention in higher education. It is based on the case study of a modern university in England that has good performance indicators of both widening participation (i.e. increasing the diversity of the student intake) and student retention. The two-fold nature of this success is significant, as it has been asserted that greater diversity will necessarily lead to an increase in student withdrawal. Furthermore, changes to student funding in the UK put greater financial pressures and stress on students, especially those from low-income groups. Nevertheless, many students cope with poverty, high levels of debt and significant burdens of paid work to successfully complete their courses of study. Drawing on the work of Reay et al. (2001), this paper adopts and explores the term ‘institutional habitus’, and attempts to provide a conceptual and empirical understanding of the ways in which the values and practices of a higher education institution impact on student retention.

Improving the Retention of Students from Lower Socio-economic Groups

Success in higher education for students from lower socio-economic groups and from disadvantaged backgrounds is becoming an increasingly important policy goal in the UK and abroad. An analysis of the HEFCE performance indicators identified six English higher education institutions performing above their benchmarks with regard to widening participation and also student retention and completion, and prompted an investigation of what these institutions had been doing that might account for their success. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers responsible for retention and completion, which focused on institutional strategy. Analysis of the interviews suggested that success in retaining students from lower socio-economic groups required a strong policy commitment to access and retention, backed up by practical action. A number of actions were identified as possible contributors to such success.

The 2003 UK Government Higher Education White Paper: a critical assessment of its implications for the access and widening participation agenda

Fair access and widening participation currently occupy a prominent position in the UK higher education agenda, but these terms remain ambiguous. In this paper we identify two prominent strands of policy in the governments approach to access and the widening of participation and contrast these with a third, more progressive perspective. The academic strand seeks to attract ‘gifted and talented’ young people into an unreformed higher education system. The second strand, which we term the utilitarian approach, posits a need for reform. However, this is undertaken largely to meet the requirements of employers and the economy. In contrast, a transformative approach values diversity and focuses on creating a system of higher education that does not place the burden of change upon potential entrants. This framework is used to explore some of the implications of the governments White Paper The future of higher education. First, the purpose of higher education is discussed, with particular reference to the distinction between economic and social objectives. Second, the governments view of the structure of the higher education sector is examined, by scrutinizing the notion of institutional differentiation and the role of the access regulator. We conclude that within a more differentiated higher education sector different aspects of the access discourse will become dominant in different types of institutions.

Power, assumptions and prescriptions: a critique of widening participation policy-making

This article focuses on widening participation in higher education by “non-traditional”, and currently under-represented, social and cultural groups in the UK. Although the barriers to access are complex and dynamic, this paper categorises the impediments to participation in post-compulsory education, and discusses the role of certain kinds of assumptions in developing policy solutions of limited effectiveness. In particular, it is concerned that dominant discourses display a propensity to make a series of untested assumptions, and reduce problems to a small number of issues, and to provide a “one-size-fits-all” solution. The UK governments proposals contained in the Excellence Challenge are examined, and underlying assumptions are identified: it assumes that the targeting and selection of pupils will be effective, and that all pupils will benefit equally from participating in the same activity. The limitations of these assumptions are illustrated by examining empirical research conducted by the author.

Lifting the hood: lifelong learning and young, white, provincial working-class masculinities

Young, white, provincial working-class men are portrayed as a threat to lifelong learning goals. They are least likely to enter university and most likely to ‘drop out’. However, white provincial masculinities are neglected in debates on gender and lifelong learning. This article uses a UK-wide study of working-class ‘drop-out’ to explore the situated nature of such masculinities, how they are performed by students and consumed by others and reproduced by university cultures and pedagogies. It concludes that such students struggle to fit the fluid paradigm of the new lifelong learner and are constantly being fixed in place by structural inequality, discursive frames and institutional practices. Their ‘drop-out’ is shaped by masculinity, but need not be viewed pejoratively. It can be a frustrated search for lifelong learning, often inspired by a love of informal learning. This should be respected, not ignored.

What works? Facilitating an effective transition into higher education

Improving student retention and success by enhancing transition and the first year experience is widely accepted as an institutional priority. This paper draws on evidence from a three-year programme: ‘What works? Student retention and success’ in England, involving seven projects and 22 higher education institutions. This study identified the importance of student engagement and belonging. Student engagement enables belonging through: supportive peer relations; meaningful interaction with staff; developing knowledge, confidence and identity as successful HE learners and, an HE experience relevant to students’ interests and future goals. The ‘What Works’ model emphasises: early engagement; having an explicit academic purpose; and developing student and staff capacity to engage/be engaging. Focusing on transition (pre-entry interventions, induction and learning and teaching in the first semester/year) this paper presents specific examples that have had an impact, and relates them to the ‘What Works’ model to evaluate their implementation and outcomes. It concludes with a reflective checklist to assist readers to improve transition.

Widening Participation to Doctoral Education and Research Degrees: A Research Agenda for an Emerging Policy Issue.

Widening participation is on the political agenda but, to date, policy, practice and research has focused on undergraduate education. This article identifies an emerging widening participation focus on doctoral education. Using England as a case study, the article examines this development within the context of the long-standing concern with equity in education, before reviewing the relatively small literature addressing who participates (and why) in doctoral and more general postgraduate education. An analysis of Widening Participation Strategic Assessments produced in 2009 by 129 English Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) reveals an emergent institutional awareness of this new development. Finally, a research agenda for widening participation to research degrees, focusing on research students, HEIs and policy-makers, is outlined. The conclusion calls for this agenda to be pursued at institutional, national and cross-national levels so that future policy can be made and implemented on the basis of a robust evidence base.

Developing Inclusive Learning to Improve the Engagement, Belonging, Retention, and Success of Students from Diverse Groups

This chapter explores the contribution of inclusive learning to the higher education experience and outcomes of students from diverse groups. More specifically, the chapter begins by providing an overview of outcome indicators for students from diverse groups, compared to the rest of the student population. It then considers the research evidence about how to improve the outcomes of students from equity groups, and pays particular attention to the findings from the ‘What works? Student retention and success’ programme in the UK. This study found that student engagement and belonging through their learning are integral to student success. In order to ensure that all students are engaged and feel like they belong, an inclusive learning approach can be employed to improve the experience and outcomes of students from diverse groups. An ongoing programme of work involving universities to implement and evaluate change to improve student engagement and belonging is drawn upon to provide some real-world examples of introducing more inclusive learning into specific programmes in UK universities. The chapter concludes with emergent lessons about the process of implementing changes to learning and teaching to improve the outcomes of students from diverse groups.

Teachers as advocates for widening participation

Abstract In England and Australia, higher education institutions (HEIs) are expected to widen participation (WP) in higher education (HE) to enhance social justice and improve individual and national economic returns. Furthermore, HEIs are the major providers of initial and in-service teacher education. This article surveys international literature to explore ways in which teacher education programmes could and do contribute to preparing teachers to advocate for WP, including drawing on learning from WP research that demonstrates the value of current HE students engaging young people in schools and colleges to support them in seriously considering progressing to HE. We conclude that teachers and pre-service teachers are well placed to be advocates for WP. In the majority of higher education institutions, however, WP and teacher education functions are not working collaboratively to embed advocacy for WP into teacher education programmes.

Chapter 2 Engaging Students to Improve Retention and Success

Purpose – This chapter identifies the reasons why institutions need to undertake transformation to engage a diverse student population: it presents a model of student retention and success, which centres on student engagement pre- and post-entry. Methodology/approach – The chapter overviews the literature on student retention and success and utilises emerging findings from the meta-analysis of the What works? Student retention and success programme. Findings – The emerging model puts student engagement at the heart of student retention and success. Institutions should promote engagement by•Provision of a range of opportunities for student engagement of different types, at different levels, across the institution in different sites (academic sphere, social sphere and professional services sphere), throughout the student lifecycle.•Developing students to recognise the importance of engagement and to have the capacity to engage in a range of opportunities.•Developing staff responsibility for and capacity to provide effective engagement opportunities.•Taking responsibility for engagement, including monitoring engagement and acting when there are indicators of lower levels of engagement.•Creating a partnership between students and institutions towards a shared outcome of successful learners and graduates. Research limitations – This chapter draws on emergent findings from the What works? programme. Practical implications – This chapter assists institutions to improve student retention and success by focusing on engagement and institutional culture. Social implications – The model assists institutions to critically consider transformation to engage a diverse student population and improve retention and success. Originality/value – The chapter pre-views original research about engagement, retention and success, which are international concerns.