153 research outputs found
The social structure of the 14-16 curriculum in England
This paper examines the stratification of the curriculum according to parents' education, gender, ethnicity and school sector in England, focusing on year 10 subject choices. Using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, we analyse both year 10 subject choices and the factors that may motivate these choices, such as liked and disliked subjects, attitudes to subject choice and the extent to which choices were shaped by parents, teachers or the young people themselves. The social structure of curriculum choice is mapped using Multiple Correspondence Analysis, which reveals the hierarchy of subjects
Framing higher education: questions and responses in the British Social Attitudes survey, 1983-2010
This is the final version of the article. Available from Taylor & Francis (Routledge) via the DOI in this record.This article focuses on questions and attitudes towards higher education in the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series. First, we analyse the changing BSA questions (1983-2010) in the context of key policy reports. Our results show that changes in the framing of higher education questions correspond with changes in the macro-discourse of higher education policies. Second, we focus on the 2010 BSA survey responses to investigate how attitudes towards higher education are related to respondents' characteristics. Respondents' socio-economic position predicts attitudes towards higher education. Graduates and professionals are most likely to support a reduction in higher education opportunities, but those who have so far benefitted least from higher education are supportive of expansion. One interpretation - with potential implications for social mobility - is that those who have already benefited from higher education are most inclined to pull the ladder up behind them
Is contextualised admission the answer to the access challenge?
This is the final version of the article. Available from Taylor & Francis (Routledge) via the DOI in this record.This article reviews the idea of contextualising applicants to higher education in order to widen access. First, the meaning of contextualised admissions (CAs) is discussed before laying out the rationale for contextualising applicants and the beneficiaries of the policy. The final sections discuss key critiques of CA and conclude by arguing that CA does go some way to addressing the access challenge. To fully realise its potential as a policy intervention though, it is most helpfully part of integrated support for students throughout university and is mindful of the role of universities in wider society to create more equal progression trajectories for young people from a range of backgrounds.This work was supported by Supporting Professionalism in Admissions
Identifying merit and potential beyond grades: Opportunities and challenges in using contextual data in undergraduate admissions at nine highly selective English universities
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordHighly selective higher education institutions (HEIs) are simultaneously mandated to enable access for
populations which have traditionally been excluded (‘equality’), and to ensure that admitted students
have the potential to succeed in higher education (‘excellence’). This article uses original empirical casestudy data from 2018, from nine highly selective English HEIs, to explore current uses of contextual data
in undergraduate admissions. The results show that all participating HEIs thought holistically about their
applicants. In particular, HEIs considered the context in which applicants had achieved their grades, and
aimed to identify academic potential not captured by those grades. However, ideological and theoretical
disagreements, as well as practical barriers, hamper a more widespread and consistent application of
contextual data in English undergraduate admissions. The article therefore identifies further practical
steps for HEIs and other stakeholders that would enable a more valid, evidence-based and coherent
position on contextual data use across the HE sector. Overall, advancing more consistency in how
contextual data were used might enable greater certainty among applicants, and those advising them,
regarding how applications for admissions are likely to be judged. Ultimately, contextual admission
policies have the potential to increase diversity among the admitted students at selective HEIs.Access Projec
Neural Attentive Session-based Recommendation
Given e-commerce scenarios that user profiles are invisible, session-based
recommendation is proposed to generate recommendation results from short
sessions. Previous work only considers the user's sequential behavior in the
current session, whereas the user's main purpose in the current session is not
emphasized. In this paper, we propose a novel neural networks framework, i.e.,
Neural Attentive Recommendation Machine (NARM), to tackle this problem.
Specifically, we explore a hybrid encoder with an attention mechanism to model
the user's sequential behavior and capture the user's main purpose in the
current session, which are combined as a unified session representation later.
We then compute the recommendation scores for each candidate item with a
bi-linear matching scheme based on this unified session representation. We
train NARM by jointly learning the item and session representations as well as
their matchings. We carried out extensive experiments on two benchmark
datasets. Our experimental results show that NARM outperforms state-of-the-art
baselines on both datasets. Furthermore, we also find that NARM achieves a
significant improvement on long sessions, which demonstrates its advantages in
modeling the user's sequential behavior and main purpose simultaneously.Comment: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM on Conference on Information and
Knowledge Management. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1511.06939,
arXiv:1606.08117 by other author
Terahertz Computed Tomography of NASA Thermal Protection System Materials
A terahertz axial computed tomography system has been developed that uses time domain measurements in order to form cross-sectional image slices and three-dimensional volume renderings of terahertz-transparent materials. The system can inspect samples as large as 0.0283 cubic meters (1 cubic foot) with no safety concerns as for x-ray computed tomography. In this study, the system is evaluated for its ability to detect and characterize flat bottom holes, drilled holes, and embedded voids in foam materials utilized as thermal protection on the external fuel tanks for the Space Shuttle. X-ray micro-computed tomography was also performed on the samples to compare against the terahertz computed tomography results and better define embedded voids. Limits of detectability based on depth and size for the samples used in this study are loosely defined. Image sharpness and morphology characterization ability for terahertz computed tomography are qualitatively described
Enhancing Widening Participation Evaluation through the development of a self-assessment tool for practitioners: Learning from the Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2) project 2017-2019
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Open University via the DOI in this recordThe ultimate goal of widening participation work, that unites policy
makers, practitioners and academics, is to enhance outcomes for
disadvantaged students in HE access, success and outcomes. This article
presents the Office for Students (OfS) commissioned project ‘Understanding
effective evaluation of the impact of outreach interventions on access to
higher education: Phase Two’. This project sought to create a step-change in
robustness of evidence used and evaluation practices. Our 2017-19 project
explored evaluation practices among nine partner organisations drawn from
higher education providers (HEPs) and third sector partners. The initial aim
was to pilot test the Standards of Evidence developed during Phase One
research, to share practices that work and highlight examples of best
practice. As the project developed, a further outcome of the project was
envisaged through ongoing discussions between the OfS, academics, HEPs
and third-sector parties: a self-assessment tool for evaluation practitioners.
This tool provides a framework and guidance which allows practitioners to
map their own evaluation approaches. Through using prompts, the five
dimensions of the tool highlight strengths and weaknesses of evaluation
within five domains (strategic context, programme design, evaluation
design, evaluation design and learning). This new tool is in effect a five point
framework setting guidance about good evaluation practice. It was rolled
out to all HEPs in spring 2019 when providers were invited to return the completed tool and their reflection as part of their Access and Participation
planning.Office for Fair Access (OFFA
The ‘ideal’ higher education student: understanding the hidden curriculum to enable institutional change
This is the final version. Available on open access from Routledge via the DOI in this recordIn England, more students from a wider range of backgrounds participate in higher education than in
previous generations. This has led to a focus on how students from diverse backgrounds can fit
better with existing higher education institutions. This is often framed in terms of ‘deficits’ that
these students have to overcome to more closely resemble the ‘implied’ or ‘ideal’ students around
which institutions are, often unconsciously, modelled. We flip this focus by thinking about how
educational institutions can evolve in response to diverse students. We use the theoretical lens of
the hidden curriculum to explore student perceptions of ‘ideal’ students. Findings are based on
research with eight students as co-researchers and 24 further student participants in an
academically selective English higher education institution. We find that there are many aspects of
hidden or assumed practices within universities students encounter when first coming to higher
education. Focusing specifically on learning environments and curricula, we found that there was an
implied student at the institution, that this mattered for the experience of learning – and that
consciousness of hidden processes helps. We conclude by suggesting that instead of focusing on
how to change students to fit institutions, institutions need to be open and adaptable to all students
#Mypathtolaw: understanding access to the legal profession through a ricoeurian analysis
This is the final version. Available on open access from Routledge via the DOI in this record. We investigated the narratives of enablers and barriers to entry into law communicated through 650 UK tweets posted under the twitter hashtag #mypathtolaw in 2018. Law students, solicitors, barristers and legal academics used this hashtag for sharing their personal paths to a legal career. We use Ricoeur’s theory of dialogues between the archaeology (past) and the teleology (future) of the self. This has previously been applied to legal ethics, but never before to understanding access to the legal profession. Our findings show that tweeters had a strong narrative of agency and ability to succeed against adversity–perhaps underplaying structural barriers. Notable through its absence is the reference to structural barriers, such as class, school, and university type and the converse individual narratives of perseverance. We find that poor or discouraging careers advice had been a significant barrier. We conclude with recommendations for schools, universities and the legal profession around diversifying the narratives used to showcase legal careers and suggest that universities engaging in training for careers advisors may further widen participation
Investigating the imagination of possible and 'like-to-avoid' selves among higher education students from different socioeconomic backgrounds at a selective english university
This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordAccess to and participation in higher education (HE) remains unequal, with social background continuing to influence decisions and experiences. In this paper, we undertake a proof-of-concept design to apply the theory of 'possible selves', as adapted by Harrison and published in Social Sciences (2018), to university students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. In 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 first-year students, from different socioeconomic backgrounds, currently studying at a selective English university. We applied a deductive analysis based on Harrison's adaptation of the 'possible selves' model originally put forward by Markus and Nurius in the 1980s. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds had a clear drive to 'avoid' future selves that would emerge without HE. Across all socioeconomic groups, we found a strong sense of agency, and a strong personal belief in success. Overall, our study shows that the model of possible selves is useful for understanding personalised and individualised student experiences, and the interrelation between social structure (socioeconomic condition) and agency. The model also offers a new way for practitioners to plan interventions for enhancing equity in HE access and participation.University of Exeter Centre for Social Mobilit
- …