Exclusion factors in Latin American higher education: A university governing board perspective

Author(s):

David Rodriguez-Gomez(presenting / submitting)Diego Castro(presenting)Joaquín Gairín

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 02 C, Strategic Practices of Inclusion & Exclusion

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-08

15:15-16:45

Room:

338. [Main]

Chair:

Johanna Annala

Contribution

Latin America is one of the regions of the world with the greatest and most persistent inequality, according to some of the basic indicators studied (i.e., incomes, consumptions expenditures, political influence, health and education, among others) (Gasparini & Cruces, 2013; Ascher &Mirovitskaya, 2012). University graduation and access rates are clear evidence of the level of equity, quality and efficacy of university systems, as well as the level of social development of countries (OECD, 2011). The rising importance of higher education policies, as one of the main driving forces behind economic competitiveness, has been accompanied by substantial reforms (i.e., greater flexibility, reappraisal of the policies’ purposes, more clearly defined accountability to society) that attempt to bring higher education institutions (HEIs) more in line with the needs of society (Santiago et al., 2008). Thus, higher education in Latin America has been going through an important restructuring process for some years: (1) increasing access to higher studies, (2) promoting co-ordination with other universities and university systems and, (3) the establishment of efficacy criteria, such as, for example, success and drop-out rates (UNESCO-IESALC, 2010).

According to CINDA data (2011), between 2000 and 2008 there was a 62% increase in enrolment, mainly in the female population, which means that approximately 22 million people (13% of worldwide enrolment) enrol in higher education in the region. However, there remain certain inequalities (CINDA, 2011): (1) the access of women is mainly in the area of social sciences; (2) the highest percentage of enrolments are in the private sector; (3) the probability of access to higher education is lower for people from backgrounds with lower socioeconomic levels. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are in a situation of inequality in terms of access, the continuity of studies and the results of learning. Additionally, vulnerable populations comprise people who, by their personal characteristics or particular circumstance, are, for the most part, exposed to exclusion, poverty and the effects of inequity and violence of all kinds. Often, inequalities in education with causes linked to geographic origin, low socioeconomic background, income, social class, gender, ethnicity or disabilities, among others, constitute critical dimensions of social exclusion (Byrne, 2005).

Recent research (Mato, 2012) demonstrates the role that university education plays in the system of promoting the most disadvantaged groups, supplying tools for professional and social promotion. Thus, university systems in Latin America must not only face the challenge of incorporating those groups that are traditionally excluded but also aspire to turn universities into a framework for developing a set of skills that allow the active, critical and transformative participation of citizens in their economic and social systems. The development of policies that facilitate access to education opportunities is fundamental to combating the permanent nature of exclusion (Gidley et al., 2010).

Despite the many efforts and numerous existing studies, inequalities in access and completion of higher education still remain (Bashir & Luque, 2012). Since existing indicators do not adapt entirely to the reality of inequality in the region (Aponte-Hernández, 2008), reducing inequalities and exclusion in Latin America, as a strategy to promote the sustainable development of our society, necessitates, among many other aspects, a contextualised delimitation of the vulnerable groups.

Thus, from a qualitative approach, the aim of this paper is to understand in depth governing board perceptions about exclusion factors in higher education institutions in Latin America. This study thus offers an empirical analysis of students’ exclusion factors from risk environments to take into account during the academic life of any student in higher education.

Method

This research has been conducted as part of the project “El acceso y el éxito académico de colectivos vulnerables en entornos de riesgo en Latinoamérica (ACCEDES)” (“Academic Access and Success for Vulnerable Groups in Situations of Risk in Latin America”), cofounded by the European Union ALFA III programme (http://projectes.uab.cat/accedes/). The project aimed to improve the inclusion levels within Latin American universities. Qualitative methods were utilized in this study to examine university governing boards’ viewpoints on exclusion factors in Latin American higher education. This methodological approach allowed the researchers to focus on understanding the social meanings that people develop with respect to context, objects and other people (Wengraf, 2001). The study’s fieldwork was conducted in 2013 and two data collection methods were utilized: in-depth interviews and focus groups. The in-depth interviews and focus groups were carried out based on the same semi-structured interview protocol and focused on: higher education policies, the characteristics and typology of vulnerable groups, specific programmes addressed to these groups, the factors generating disadvantage, forms of exclusion from university and how exclusion becomes apparent in the progression of certain groups through university. Nineteen institutional representatives of Latin American universities were interviewed, selected from amongst the 24 institutions involved in the ACCEDES project. The criteria for selecting the participants were: (1) over four years’ experience in university management positions; (2) over five years working in their current university; (3) responsibilities relating to student access and retention policies. Participants belonged to both private and public universities, with sizes ranging from 4,000 to 200,000 students. Each interview lasted approximately 50 minutes. In addition, the 19 university governing board members interviewed were grouped into three focus groups, comprising between four and seven participants each. Considering that exclusion factors are affected by contextual and geographical characteristics (Wang, 2011; Geruluk & Race, 2007), participants were grouped according to the three geographical regions of Latin America (i.e., Central America and the Caribbean islands, Central and Andean region, Southern countries). To meet the objectives of this study, the interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed in order to identify recurrent patterns and themes. Data analysis was carried out by integrating inductive and deductive approaches, which allowed us to establish a constant dialogue between the data and current theories (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010).

Expected Outcomes

Adding to other studies on inequality, inclusion and equity in higher education in Latin America (e.g., Gazzol & Didriksson, 2008), the results obtained allow us to classify exclusion factors for vulnerable groups in the university in two dimensions: intrinsic (i.e., personal characteristics and family situation) and extrinsic (i.e., institutional features and public policies). The intrinsic dimension includes exclusion factors linked to personal characteristics such as low academic performance in secondary school education, low self-esteem or low self-control or having to work in precarious conditions. The second element of the intrinsic dimension is family situation, which includes a household’s precarious employment context, young students with family responsibilities, a family environment with difficulties accessing culture, and living in remote areas or areas that are badly connected with university centres. The extrinsic elements that explain exclusion from HEIs include the factors we have called institutional features and public policies. The institutional features factor considers aspects connected with (1) the lack of motivation or low levels of interest of academic staff, (2) the absence of programmes to focus and facilitate transition between different academic stages, (3) insufficient provision of financial resources, (4) poor accessibility of facilities and (5) the institution’s location. The public policies factor comprises elements associated with the lack of explicitly defined remedial actions or low levels of investment in public higher education. Finally, consistent with other studies on student participation and access to higher education (e.g., Johnson, 2006; Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges & Hayek, 2011), the results indicate that the time-related dimension is key, both to understanding the inclusion-exclusion phenomenon in higher education and to propose actions that will facilitate access and attainment for the most vulnerable groups. Thus, it is important to consider that the four dimensions associated with exclusion are not evenly manifest throughout the student’s academic career.

References

Aponte-Hernandez, E. (2008). Inequality, inclusion, and equity trends in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: Towards an alternative scenario for 2020. In A. Gazzola & A. Didriksson (Eds.), Trends in higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean (pp. 109-148). Caracas: IESALC-UNESCO. Ascher, W. & Mirovitskaya, N. (Eds.). (2012). Economic Development Strategies and the Evolution of Violence in Latin America. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Bashir, S. & Luque, J. (2012). Equity in Tertiary Education in Central America. Washington: World Bank. Byrne, D. (2005). Social exclusion. Berkshire, England: McGraw-Hill International. CINDA. (2011). Educación Superior en Iberoamérica. Informe 201. Santiago de Chile: Ril Editores. Gasparini, L., & Cruces, G. (2013). Poverty and inequality in Latin America: A story of two decades. Journal of International Affairs, 66 (2): 51-63. Gazzol, A., & Didriksson, A. (2008). Trends in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Caracas: IESALC – UNESCO. Gereluk, D., & Race, R. (2007). Multicultural tensions in England, France and Canada: Contrasting approaches and consequences. International studies in sociology of education, 17 (1-2): 113-129. Gidley, J., Hampson, G., Wheeler, L., & Bereded-Samuel, E. (2010). From access to success: An integrated approach to quality higher education informed by social inclusion theory and practice. Higher Education Policy, 23 (1), 123-147. Johnson, I. (2006). Analysis of stopout behaviour at a public research university: The multi-spell discrete-time approach. Research in Higher Education, 47 (8), 905-934. Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J., Bridges, B., & Hayek, J. (2011). Piecing Together the Student Success Puzzle: Research, Propositions, and Recommendations: ASHE Higher Education Report , 116. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. Mato, D. (2012). Educación Superior y pueblos indígenas y afrodescendientes en América Latina. Normas, políticas y prácticas. Caracas: UNESCO/IESLAC. McMillan, J., & Schumacher, S. (2010). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (7th edition). Boston: Pearson Education Limited. OECD. (2011). Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing. Santiago, P., Tremblay, K., Basri, E., & Arnal, E. (2008). Tertiary education for the knowledge society. Paris: OECD. UNESCO-IESALC. (2010). La Universidad latinoamericana en discusión. Caracas, Venezuela: UESCO-IESALC. Wang, L. (2011). Social exclusion and inequality in higher education in China: A capability perspective. International Journal of Educational Development, 31 (3): 277-286. Wengraf, T. (2001). Qualitative research interviewing: Biographic narrative and semi-structured methods. London: Sage.

Author Information

David Rodriguez-Gomez (presenting / submitting)

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Applied Pedagogy

Cerdanyola del Vallès

Diego Castro (presenting)

UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA

Bellaterra (Barcelona)

Joaquín Gairín

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

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