Exploring the experiences of estranged students in higher education : a longitudinal comparative case study of two UK universities

Key, Amie

Abstract

Higher education (HE) policy in the UK emphasises a widening participation agenda and a shift to focus on a ‘student’s entire lifecycle’ rather than simply on access to HE. Universities are expected to accommodate for ‘non-traditional’ students, and a well-established field of research explores the experiences of these student groups. ‘Estranged students’, those who study without family support, are a group whose experiences are slowly becoming acknowledged in policy and research. This paper discusses the existing knowledge of how estranged students experience HE, arguing that it views estranged students as a homogeneous group and fails to identify complexities in experience. The paper discusses the author’s attempts to address this issue, identifying the key findings of her small-scale undergraduate dissertation project, and outlining plans to conduct a longitudinal comparative case study of estranged students at two universities. Ultimately, these projects aim to improve estranged students’ experiences of HE.

Citation

Key, A. (2019). Exploring the experiences of estranged students in higher education : a longitudinal comparative case study of two UK universities. In X. Shao (Ed.), Imagining Better Education: Conference Proceedings 2018 (95-105). Durham University, School of Education

• Publication Date: 2019
• Deposit Date: Mar 15, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 15, 2019
• Pages: 95-105
• Series Title: Imagining Better Education
• Book Title: Imagining Better Education: Conference Proceedings 2018.
• ISBN: 9780907552154
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1699926
• Publisher URL: https://www.dur.ac.uk/education/