Brille Bristol Centre for Research in Education and Lifelong Learning

1. Constructing identities in new forms of higher education: student transitions in the context of ‘dual sector’ institutions Ann-Marie Bathmaker, UWE Bristol BrilleBristol Centre for Research in Education and Lifelong Learning

2. Seminar for the SRHE HE-FE network 13 May 2008 SRHE, London

3. Acknowledgements This presentation is based on work contributing to an ESRC TLRP project entitled Universal access and dual regimes of further and higher education. The research team comprises: Diane Burns, Anne Thompson, Val Thompson, Cate Goodlad (University fieldwork research team) Andy Roberts; David Dale; Will Thomas; Liz Halford (Institution based researchers) Ann-Marie Bathmaker (BRILLE, UWE), Greg Brooks, Gareth Parry (University of Sheffield), David Smith (University of Leeds) (Project directors) Karen Kitchen (Project administrator)

4. Overview • The context: WP in HE and dual sector institutions • The FurtherHigher (FH) Project • What is a dual sector institution? • Identity work in the context of dual sector HE institutions • Concluding comments

5. The context for WP in HE and dual sector institutions • Policy imperative to widen participation in HE in context of ‘knowledge economy’ • PSA target (towards 50% participation by 2010 by 18-30 year olds) • 2 tertiary sectors in England:LSC/FE sector and HE sector • ‘Dual sector’ FE/HE institutions

6. The FurtherHigher project Research questions • Why do we have two ‘sectors’ providing higher education in England? • What impact does this have on widening participation in HE? • How do students experience transitions between further and higher education, and between different stages of undergraduate study (level 5/6)?

7. FH project fieldwork • Fieldwork in 4 dual sector institutions • Transition between level 3 (FE) and level 4 (HE) AND between level 5 (2 yr HE) and level 6 (final year UG degree) • Interviews with students, tutors, institutional, managersdocumentary analysiscollection of fieldwork observation recordsphotographs of space and place

8. Identity work • Constructing the ‘dual sector’ ‘FurtherHigher’ institution • Constructing the ‘FurtherHigher’ student

9. What is a dual sector institution? • A relational understanding - ‘dual sector’ institutions need to be understood in relation to other parts of HE system in England: • ‘elite’ universities • Post-1992 universities • FE colleges

10. Role of dual sector institutions Enabling WP and transition to HE through: • Alternative routes • Second chance opportunities • Increased variety and geographical spread (local and regional) • Foundation degree provision: widening participation in HE, a progression route to Honours • ‘Seamless’ transition WITHIN single FE/HE institutions

11. What is a dual sector institution? • Northgreen Federal College • East Heath College • Central HE College • Southleigh University • What makes them dual? • What makes them dual sector? • All are in transition, undergoing change, but not in the same direction

12. Teaching room at Daiston Campus site of Northgreen Federal College

13. Wall display in teaching room at Daiston Campus site of Northgreen Federal College

14. College notice at Tultry College site of Northgreen Federal College

15. FurtherHigher education • What is the scale of activity? • How important is transition between level 3 and level 4 (FE to HE) and between level 5 and level 6 (short cycle HE to final year Bachelor degree) for institutions that are ‘dual sector’ or in FE/HE partnerships?

16. 10 9 8 7 6 Staying Moving Number os Student Interviewees 5 Don't Know 4 Not continuing Study 3 2 1 0 ND Sports FdSc Sports Therapy ND Business Studies Access to HE Fd Early Years HND/FD Music Technology FD, HND, HNC ND Early Years AVCE Health and Social Care Arts Management Bridging to Culinary Photography/Design ND Citygate College Northgreen Federal College East Health College Southleigh University Subject/Vocational area and Institution Student progression in 4 case study institutions: studying within institution, studying at another institution, not continuing to study

17. All internal transfers from FE level 3 to HE courses at Citygate College from 2003/04 to 2005/06 Note: Even though Citygate College is a dual sector institution with approximately 60% HE / 40% FE provision, FE/HE transfer #s are small

18. Internal transfers from HE level 5 (Fd degree, HND) to Bachelor degree final year at Citygate HE College from 2003/04 to 2005/06 ???????? No data collected at present (Not a key management concern or priority?)

19. FurtherHigher institutions • Positioning the institution in the HE market is important • Internal transitions between FE and HE provision are not currently a major driver • HE student transitions are linked to understandings of stratified system and two types of WP: access to prestigious courses/institutions (transition out)access to some form of HE (transition in)

20. Students’ experience of transitions: a site study example • Sports Therapy at Citygate College • Citygate College is an HE sector institution with substantial FE • The College offers:BTEC National Diploma in Sport (Sport Development and Fitness)FdSc in Sports TherapyBSc in Sports Therapy

21. Constructing the ‘FurtherHigher’ student • Not encouraged at school • Not expected to continue to higher education by school • Diverse post-16 experience, not smooth progression • Stories of HE study as hard • Imagined futures: hoping for a chance

22. Student transitions and progression How do students get on to and progress through a Foundation degree and a BSc in Sports Therapy? • Getting in • Getting on • Moving up • Getting a BSc

23. Getting in to a Foundation degree – using official sources • 40 degrees in Sports Therapy are listed on the UCAS website (BSc and FdSc) • 10 institutions offer FdSc in Sports Therapy • Only 7 listed on the Foundation degree forward website • On the UCAS website, Sports Therapy search under Foundation Degree and Bachelor degree listings brings up NO courses. Sports Therapy courses can only be found by keying Sports Therapy into the general SEARCH menu option.

24. Selection of Sports Therapy Foundation Degrees offered for 2008 start (1)

25. Selection of Sports Therapy Foundation Degrees offered for 2008 start (2)

26. Getting in to a Foundation degree: internal progression Total numbers taking BTEC National Diploma in Sport in 2003-04 at Citygate College

27. Getting on: moving through the Foundation degree (internal progression) Total numbers taking FdSc in Sports Therapy at Citygate College starting 2004-2005

28. Moving on to the BSc: internal progression Students in Y3 of BSc Sports Therapy at Citygate College in 2006/07

29. Completion of BSc: Final outcomes of students in Sports Therapy at Citygate College in 2006/07

30. Student transitions and progression: issues • Students are expected to have and often have lower levels of prior achievement • Students may not complete courses. On the FdSc there was attrition between start and completion (from 39 to 27). Progression to BSc was high, (22 out of 27) but 5 students did not continue. • Bachelor degree outcomes may be lower. Degree results for BSc/BSc students were comparable to national HEI benchmarks. They were lower when the FdSc/BSc students were included.

31. What makes a ‘higher education’ student? Someone who has to cope with: • A lot more work • More intense work • Stricter deadlines • Harvard referencing • Writing 2000 words • The DISSERTATION

32. What makes a ‘higher education’ student? Someone who is more independent and can cope with: • Independent study and self-direction • No ‘spoon-feeding’ • More independent research • Using the library • Less individual support

33. Stories of HE study as hard Sarah: I had this one essay and it was 100% in a report. I’m not the best essay writer and it was 2,000 words but the content was so in-depth that it was impossible to do in 2,000 words. And it was one of those essays where I just wanted to bury it. I wanted to cry, I was like “no, I can’t do it, it’s too hard”. It was a subject that I’ve never done before and I thought if I don’t pass this – no! Because I worked so hard on it and it took me months - when I say months, pure research, pure writing, writing, writing, writing, re-writing, editing, it took me ages. And I thought if I’ve worked that hard on something and it turned out that I just couldn’t pass it even with all that effort, I just thought “what’s the point”. (011/1: 104:20)

34. Stories of pro-active orientation to learning Rosemary: “We all got given tutors about 3 weeks ago if you hadn’t already got them, whereas I went to see the tutor that I’d wanted before the summer. I phoned him up and then basically I’ve been seeing him a couple of times throughout the summer and then mainly every week now since we’ve been back, so he’s keeping me on track. He’ll just set me little things up, get so many words done by the following week, so it keeps it constant.”

35. Stories of passive orientation to learning Tanya:I mean I’d started doing stuff in sort of August thinking I’d better start hurrying up and getting on with something. Having said that, since then I’ve done very little. I’m not very impressed with myself. I was cross with myself because I thought if I can do that many hours a day, surely 2 hours a day of study - what’s that really, it’s nothing, but I haven’t been doing it. I think if I had been a lot better prepared and I’d have been sort of ahead of the game, I’d have done that. (01/2: 106)

36. Imagined futures With the build up to the 2012 London Olympics, and concern over the health of the nation, Sport is playing an increasingly important role in society and in people’s leisure times. There is increasing demand for the skills provided by this new qualification. From Newcastle College’s website: http://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk/courseinfo/courseinfo.asp?courseid=4517Accessed 25 April 2008.

37. Imagined futures Yvonne Tainton (programme leader): Sports therapists primarily will be self-employed initially. You know, this is an industry whereby there is a lot of work but not a lot of jobs. If you’re asking me “are there a load of jobs?” as in being employed…. if you look at any of your papers you won’t find a big section for sports therapy jobs, it’s too new. However, the potential of work is huge, absolutely huge. (AYS001: 1)

38. Imagined futures Carol: A guy came in last week from the Society of Sports Therapists and he said trying to get in with a football team is horrendous, he said there’s 40,000 clients registered with the FA ... that’s a lot but they’re not all of them going to be willing to pay us money and that’s what we want. So his response really wasn’t that great with regards to looking for a job. And I think the basic thing is we need to get basic skills, you know, we need to go and do different courses on top of our degree which isn’t very helpful when you’re in lots of debt and have got to pay hundreds of pounds to go on a two day course. (09/3: 29)

39. Is there a ‘FurtherHigher’ student? The story that could be constructed out of the project data: • Lower prior achievement on entry • Needs HE courses which are progressively harder, with Y1 of FdSc not too big a jump, particularly from level 3 vocational courses • Needs support with study from the institution (cannot depend on cultural capital) • Seeks out closer relationships with some course tutors – evidence that students seek out someone they trust to help them

40. Concluding comments • ‘Aspiring’ institutions • ‘Aspiring’ students

41. Constructing ‘aspiring’ institutions Conscious positioning in relation to HE Do not wish to retain their own students at any cost: internal progression is not a prime motivator On the move (in process of transition)

42. Redefining the field • Changing the configuration of the landscape of HE • Increasing diversity • Increasing complexity • Increasing stratification

43. Constructing ‘aspiring’ selves • ‘In the middle’, ‘ordinary students’: not ‘standing out’ nor ‘failing’ • Stories of hard work, and working to be a ‘good’ student • Imagined future as a ‘better’ future

44. HE is not the golden elixir • Complex picture of student experience and interaction with HE opportunities • Access, progression, outcomes and futures are not straightforward, smooth and seamless • Future is risky

45. The FurtherHigher Project http://www.shef.ac.uk/furtherhigher/ Ann-Marie Bathmaker Ann-Marie.bathmaker@uwe.ac.uk brilleBristol Centre for Research in Education and Lifelong Learning