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This thesis draws on Amartya Sen’s capability approach to re-examine the complex and dynamic nature of young people’s aspirations, in relation to government strategies to widen participation in higher education in England. Key concepts from Pierre Bourdieu are synthesised with Sen’s work to create a theoretical framework which facilitates new insights into the way young people’s aspirations may be transformed into capabilities. A case study was undertaken involving 580 young people aged 17-19. The city of Sheffield was chosen due to its contrasting areas of participation in higher education. Students in post-16 education from four institutions took part in the study. Two of the institutions were based in an area of Sheffield that has high participation rates in higher education and two in an area with low participation. Methods included quantitative survey, individual and group interviews. The thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge by making new conceptual advances in understanding the nature of aspirations. Drawing on concepts from social choice theory, this culminated in developing a new typology of revealed, concealed, adapted and apparent aspirations. Secondly, the study identified new processes of support and hindrance experienced by young people as they strive to realise their aspirations. These processes are theorised using the notion of ‘conversion factors’ leading to re-examination of the way in which disadvantage is constructed within widening participation discourses. New insights were developed into the roles that educators and policy makers may play in both helping young people to develop their aspirations as well as enhancing their freedom to realise their aspirations. Thirdly, this study has generated new understandings of young people’s relationships to higher education and their decision-making pathways in this area. In particular, a new register of meaning and action is identified to help understand the different ways young people construct the possibility of their participation in higher education.

There was a need to consider the use of ICT for second language learning in other cultures. In this study, Japan was chosen because it provided a rich context where cultural obligations have been demonstrated to be paramount in face-to-face interactions and questions about those expectations were investigated when using ICT in second language university classrooms. In that respect, the variables culture, ICT and language needed to be examined through a paradigm that could capture the subtle nuances of the interactions and sociological holistic methodology provided the optimal framework. During fieldwork, factors highlighted that the variable culture was a major component influencing the study at all levels. Two related, though distinct, cases were examined at two universities in Japan. The data from the first study highlighted patterns and developed a hypothesis, which was tested in the second case. The results focus primarily on the cultural factors that influence language learning and use through ICT for Japanese university students. Results suggest that ICT may be providing new ways to communicate for some; however, irrespective of the language used for communication, students attempt to use strategies rooted in the expectations of the first language culture. The degree to which students can express personal opinions and values in the ICT environment was found to be related to the perceived degree of freedom from first language cultural obligations. Some of the claimed benefits of ICT in language education were not substantiated as students were experiencing competing demands on their learning repertoire. It was also found that the degree of truth and importance students attributed to the ICT event, which was hypothesized from a matrix of cultural variables, influenced the degree to which the language used and learnt within ICT would be supported in other cultural events.

This thesis explores the concept that research-led business schools in the UK and USA constitute organizational fields that are characterised by conflicting institutional logics. This conflict is derived from attempts to reconcile the professional logic of academic demands and the market logic of practitioner demands on business schools. The theoretical framework builds on contributions to the study of institutions offered by institutional theory. In particular, it draws on both ‘old’ and ‘new’ intuitionalism to utilise the analytic concept of conflicting institutional logics in a ‘comprehensive’ institutional approach. Furthermore, following institutional theory’s emphasis on the explanatory potential of historical research, the conflict between the professional and market logics is explored in its historical context in order to show that conflicting logics have been embedded in the UK and US fields since their inception. The empirical chapters examine the impact of conflicting institutional logics on an important set of actors in the UK and USA business school fields: faculty members. The empirical material is based on a programme of 95 interviews conducted with faculty members in four research-based business schools, two in the UK and two in the USA. The first empirical chapter establishes that a conflict between the demands of the academic community and practitioners is experienced strongly by faculty members The second and third chapters analyse and interpret the responses of faculty members in the UK and USA to the pressures of their institutional environment. These responses are then compared and contrasted. The thesis concludes that a solution to the institutionally embedded conflict between the professional and market logics is not viable within the current configuration of the UK and US fields, and suggestions are made for ways in which they can move beyond the limitations of their current framework.

In recent years, women have entered all fields at university in unparalleled numbers. There remains however a few subjects, such as Engineering, were their presence has hovered around the 14% mark nationally.  A questionnaire was designed as a means of determining if the experiences students have in university engineering departments affect how many women take up Engineering degrees. As it became clear that women are but one minority group in Engineering, when compared to non-U.K. students, it was decided to include these students as part of the analysis . Hence, this thesis explores the similarities and differences between students in U.K. Undergraduate Engineering courses as recorded by the measure of a questionnaire and analysed by statistical methods including the Anova, T-test and Bivariate Correlations. The questionnaire was created out of a feminist methodological framework using quantitative analysis that sought to understand why the numbers of women in the field of Engineering are so low despite parity in most other subjects including other types of sciences. Questionnaires were collected from 605 students, 74 of whom were female at 8 different U.K. universities. Students were then analysed according to fee status (Home, Overseas or European Union) and/or gender. Few differences in variables such as confidence, attitudes towards lectures and labs, staff, classmates, motivations for choosing an Engineering degree were found between men and women. Rather more differences were found according to fee status. The findings suggest that the penultimate year of a university degree may be too late to make any real changes to the numbers of women in the field; rather resources should be devoted towards intervention at an earlier level and continued support at university for both women and other minority groups such as non-U.K. students. This thesis suggests ways educators may do this.

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The reluctance of Sports Science students to engage with Statistics l has been widely documented in the higher education sector. This research project employed a mixed methodology to explore the complex interaction between motivation, learning and student achievement to inform the development of statistical pedagogies through evidence based practice. Data for 336 students were collated from student records. Descriptive statistics explored the impact of gender, degree programme, previous Mathematics qualification and UCAS tariff points on marks in Statistics examinations. Inferential statistical tests (ANOYA, ANCOYA and t-tests) evaluated the mean differences within each factor and the interactions between them. Additionally, Statistics marks were compared to those of other compulsory modules. Regression models identified the comparative contribution of quantitative factors to Statistics and Dissertation marks. Unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve participants to understand the students' perspectives while they were studying a level five Statistics module. A synthesis of quantitative and qualitative findings revealed. mathematical experiences to be the only factor to influence achievement in Statistics. Students perceived Statistics as a branch of Mathematics and expressed insufficient confidence to engage with statistical activities, which in tum led to poor examination results, particularly at level five. Interview responses revealed the examinations to be inadequate indicators of statistical literacy. Recommendations were made to develop statistical thinking in response to Sports Science problems. This approach would enable students to have space for necessary reflection and to appreciate better the vital role of Statistics in all areas of Sports Science. Assessment through project work was commended as beneficial, both as a vehicle for learning and to promote motivation for deeper engagement with Statistics. The reluctance of Sports Science students to engage with Statistics l has been widely documented in the higher education sector. This research project employed a mixed methodology to explore the complex interaction between motivation, learning and student achievement to inform the development of statistical pedagogies through evidence based practice. Data for 336 students were collated from student records. Descriptive statistics explored the impact of gender, degree programme, previous Mathematics qualification and UCAS tariff points on marks in Statistics examinations. Inferential statistical tests (ANOYA, ANCOYA and t-tests) evaluated the mean differences within each factor and the interactions between them. Additionally, Statistics marks were compared to those of other compulsory modules. Regression models identified the comparative contribution of quantitative factors to Statistics and Dissertation marks. Unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve participants to understand the students' perspectives while they were studying a level five Statistics module. A synthesis of quantitative and qualitative findings revealed. mathematical experiences to be the only factor to influence achievement in Statistics. Students perceived Statistics as a branch of Mathematics and expressed insufficient confidence to engage with statistical activities, which in tum led to poor examination results, particularly at level five. Interview responses revealed the examinations to be inadequate indicators of statistical literacy. Recommendations were made to develop statistical thinking in response to Sports Science problems. This approach would enable students to have space for necessary reflection and to appreciate better the vital role of Statistics in all areas of Sports Science. Assessment through project work was commended as beneficial, both as a vehicle for learning and to promote motivation for deeper engagement with Statistics. The reluctance of Sports Science students to engage with Statistics l has been widely documented in the higher education sector. This research project employed a mixed methodology to explore the complex interaction between motivation, learning and student achievement to inform the development of statistical pedagogies through evidence based practice. Data for 336 students were collated from student records. Descriptive statistics explored the impact of gender, degree programme, previous Mathematics qualification and UCAS tariff points on marks in Statistics examinations. Inferential statistical tests (ANOYA, ANCOYA and t-tests) evaluated the mean differences within each factor and the interactions between them. Additionally, Statistics marks were compared to those of other compulsory modules. Regression models identified the comparative contribution of quantitative factors to Statistics and Dissertation marks. Unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve participants to understand the students' perspectives while they were studying a level five Statistics module. A synthesis of quantitative and qualitative findings revealed. mathematical experiences to be the only factor to influence achievement in Statistics. Students perceived Statistics as a branch of Mathematics and expressed insufficient confidence to engage with statistical activities, which in tum led to poor examination results, particularly at level five. Interview responses revealed the examinations to be inadequate indicators of statistical literacy. Recommendations were made to develop statistical thinking in response to Sports Science problems. This approach would enable students to have space for necessary reflection and to appreciate better the vital role of Statistics in all areas of Sports Science. Assessment through project work was commended as beneficial, both as a vehicle for learning and to promote motivation for deeper engagement with Statistics. The ambiguous identity of Statistics was exposed as the cause of interview participants' anxiety about Statistics. Further research was advocated to establish the characteristics that set Statistics apart from Mathematics and to develop innovative approaches to assessment. Professional development to improve the Sports Science/Statistics interface and challenge the boundaries of modular degree structures was a critical recommendation for future development.

International student mobility has become an increasingly important and prominent part of the global higher education landscape over the past two decades (Verbik and Lasanowski, 2007). Despite a long history within Europe, student mobility has increased significantly over recent years partly due to the support and encouragement provided by the Erasmus programme. Since its introduction in 1987, the Erasmus programme has traditionally facilitated student mobility for studies within Europe; however, in 2007 the programme expanded and now also supports student mobility for work placements. There is a growing body of literature on student mobility for the purpose of studies, but student work placement mobility has largely been overlooked in existing research. This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge and offers a new perspective on student mobility by exploring the drivers, experiences and effects of Erasmus work placement mobility. The UK has performed well in terms of Erasmus work placement mobility compared to its previous performance for Erasmus study abroad and therefore provides an interesting case study for this research. The findings presented in this thesis offer new insights into the motivations, experiences and perceptions of UK students who go abroad in Europe during their undergraduate studies to complete a work placement. Overall, this thesis stresses the importance of assessing subtypes of student mobility and highlights that work placement mobility is very different to study abroad in numerous ways.

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No description available.