Session Information
05 SES 07 A, Youth v Adversity
Paper Session
Contribution
Abstract
Previous research on first-generation students and social mobility has primarily been concentrated on trajectories and how different resources (specifically economic, social and cultural capital) can be significant for a student’s willingness to pursue higher studies (see for example Anders & Micklewright, 2015; Bathmaker et al., 2016; Behtoui, 2017; Coertjens, Brahm, Trautwein, & Lindblom- Ylanne, 2017; Ivermark & Ambrose, 2021; Reay, David, & Ball, 2001; Siraj & Mayo, 2015). Furthermore, qualitative research has also primarily investigated how students adapt to university life and how they perceive social mobility while studying (see for example Bathmaker et al., 2016; Granfield, 1991; Lee & Kramer, 2013; Lehmann, 2013; Reay, Crozier, & Clayton, 2009). There has not to my knowledge been any investigation of how to engage and encourage first-generation students early in life to aim for higher studies, even though encouraging underrepresented groups to apply for university has been a long-standing political goal in many Western countries. For example, since the early 2000s, all Swedish universities are obligated under the Swedish Higher Education Act (SFS, 1992:1434 chap. 1 5§) to work actively to increase access to higher education among underrepresented groups, most often first-generation students. As a result, several Swedish universities have widening participation programs directed at students who are unlikely to pursue higher studies. One such program is the studied afterschool program, directed at students attending middle school (ages 13-16). Within the program, university students, henceforth referred to as student ambassadors, attend middle schools in the afternoons to help with schoolwork and to talk about university studies. These afternoons are voluntary for the middle-school students, and analysis shows that participants have a wide range of reasons to attend. Participation has been seen to increase students’ motivation for doing schoolwork and at times even for continuing to university. This article will, through microanalysis of everyday practices, try to unfold possible reasons for this increase in motivation.
The starting point is that schooling today has a multifold purpose: it is not only a place to get the right qualifications, but also somewhere students can express their dreams and thoughts about a possible future. One way of discussing this multifold purpose is through the lens of American educational philosopher Nel Noddings’ and her ethics of care (Noddings, 2005, 2012, 2013). Through dialogue, listening and caring, student ambassadors can create a safe space for learning, and the analysis shows that caring encounters can inspire students to pursue their dreams. The results therefore suggest that caring encounters can be an important factor for awakening dreams among young students, dreams that can include higher education.
The data is based on interviews and fieldwork, and is drawn from a larger mixed-method research project focusing on access to higher education, trajectories and widening participation. All data was gathered between 2018 and 2020; further detail on data collection is provided in the methodological section.
Method
Method: Data emanates from a two-year mixed-method research project where widening participation and trajectories to higher education were studied using both qualitative and quantitative methods. In this article, qualitative data is used and the analysis emanates from interviews and fieldwork in schools placed in socioeconomically strained areas where most parents do not have tertiary educations. During the fieldwork, pedagogical and social processes within the program were observed, deepening knowledge of the practice of the afterschool program (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). In total sixty in-depth interviews were conducted with students (12), teachers (26), student ambassadors (14) and staff members from university (8) and the overall purpose was to gain an understanding of how a wider-participation program can motivate students to pursue higher education.The students interviewed were both current and former students and each interview lasted around an hour. Eight of the twelve students had parents who had not attended any higher education, while the remaining four had parents who had studied at university outside Sweden. As a complement to the in-depth interviews, focus-group interviews were conducted: 42 students (20 girls and 22 boys, age 15) took part, where the joint reflections deepened the knowledge about the impact of the afterschool program (Kitzinger, 1995). Each focus-group interview lasted approximately 30 minutes. It is important to point out that the format of focus groups makes it inappropriate to ask about parental background and migration experiences; it is therefore not possible to know any explicit details about family background, but 15 of the 42 students mentioned having a family member that had studied at university, most often an older sibling. All interviews have been recorded and transcribed, with field notes and interviews analyzed thematically using NVivo in several steps to elucidate, interpret and understand what a caring encounter can be. The study follows the ethical recommendations of the Swedish Ethical Board and has received ethical approval. Within the project, the aim was to understand the importance of a widening participation program and what might lead to underrepresented groups applying for university. In this article, the analyses are concentrated on microanalyzing the importance of encounters with student ambassadors, and other adults, predominantly teachers who listen, see and encourage dreams. The analysis of encounters provides important understanding of how students can be supported within an educational setting, understanding that is hard to gain in other ways (Aspers, 2011; Willis & Trondman, 2000)
Expected Outcomes
Conclusions The article focuses on analyzing aspects of a caring encounter – how a meeting between significant other and a young student can provide opportunities for unfolding dreams and desires. The main finding is that the afterschool program can be a valuable extra resource beyond its primary mission of widening participation. Furthermore, the results shows that an ethic of care theory provides valuable insights for a broader understanding of education: as well as giving students the right qualifications, the afterschool program also needs to be relational, where the educator (or student ambassador) is both a mentor and a person who allows the students to express their dreams and wishes. The results show that educators need to give students a sensitive level of support, responding with an ethic of care where both the carer and the cared-for are involved. A general conclusion can be drawn from the analyses, that educational relationships need to be built on trust, engagement and continuity; and that schools of today need to combine learning goals with a quest for caring where the educators are student-focused, communicative, active and engaged. With this broader perspective, support programs like the studied one here can be a safe place for students to develop. For such programs to succeed, however, educators need to understand the interrelated aspects of learning and relations, as well as recognizing that establishing, building and nourishing relationships are all important forms of education. Programs that work with widening participation are more likely to succeed when they work through the prism of an ethic of care.
References
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