Who is missing from higher education?

Author: Gorard, Stephen¹

Source: Cambridge Journal of Education, Volume 38, Number 3, September 2008 , pp. 421-437(17)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This paper discusses the difficulties of establishing a clear count of UK higher education students in terms of the categories used for widening participation, such as occupational background or ethnicity. Using some of the best and most complete data available, such as the annual figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the paper then establishes that there is little evidence of a simple consistent pattern of under-representation within these categories, except perhaps for men and students of white ethnicity. However, once prior qualifications are taken into account there is no evidence that potential students are unfairly and disproportionately denied access to higher education in terms of occupation, ethnicity, sex or disability. This has important implications for what we mean by widening participation in higher education and how we might achieve it.

Keywords: higher education; widening participation diversity ethnicity socio-e

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/03057640802286863

Affiliations: 1: School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK