ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF NON- STANDARD ENTRY STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION KATE KIRK MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY HEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2010

ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF NON-ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF NON-STANDARD ENTRY STUDENTS IN STANDARD ENTRY STUDENTS IN

HIGHER EDUCATIONHIGHER EDUCATION

KATE KIRK MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITYKATE KIRK MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

HEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2010HEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2010

DIVERSITY DIVERSITY andand ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT ::How non-traditional How non-traditional

entry students entry students succeedsucceed in Higher Education. in Higher Education.

KATE KIRK MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITYKATE KIRK MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

NTF RESEARCH PROJECTNTF RESEARCH PROJECT

Presentation content:

1. Background to the DIVERSITY DIVERSITY ANDAND

ACHIEVEMENTACHIEVEMENT Project in the UK and Australia.

2. An outline of the Pedagogic Research/ResearchMethod.

3. Emergent themes.

4. How research findings can inform inclusive and appropriate transition and induction programmes for non-standard entry students

The Diversity Diversity andand Achievement Achievement Research Project

evolved from an Evaluation of the First year Experience

of a cohort of mainly ‘non-traditional entry’ students on

the Applied Social Studies Programme at MMU.

This evaluation revealed evidence of :

Students’ motivation, resilience and drive.

Students as independent and autonomous learners.

Students as people managing learning in complex

circumstances.

RESEARCHING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCERESEARCHING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

‘….........(the) research attitude demands that we consider the role of

teaching to be one of listening at least as much as one of

speaking: that teaching is a two way process of communication,

and that what students have to say about their learning is always

most significant.

Such an approach is to be contrasted with the normal student feedback

questionnaires that have now become an integral part of the quality

control machinery’.

Rowland, S. ( 2000) The Enquiring University Teacher London: OUP

The DIVERSITY DIVERSITY ANDAND ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT Project..

The DIVERSITY AND ACHIEVEMENT DIVERSITY AND ACHIEVEMENT Project in the UK and Australia:

•Participants are students from social and cultural groups that are

traditionally under-represented in Higher Education.

•Two groups in the UK study:

One generic group and a second a group of African and African

Caribbean heritage students.

•Australian participants include Aboriginal students and refugees.

The DIVERSITY DIVERSITY ANDAND ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT Project

..

A Longitudinal Study involving semi-structured interviews

with students during the second and third undergraduate

years.

Interview foci:

1.Pathways to HE.

2.Managing Life and Learning.

3.Reflection on experience and change.

'Of all the pedagogic tasks teachers face, getting inside students’

heads is one of the trickiest. It is also one of the most crucial. When

we start to see ourselves through our students’ eyes, we become

aware of what Perry (1988) calls the “different worlds” in the same

classroom”.

We learn that students perceive the same activities in vastly different

ways.’

Brookfield, S. D. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher San

Francisco: Jossey Bass

Brookfield, S. D. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher San Francisco: Jossey Bass

INTENDED OUTCOMES of the PROJECT:

To raise the profile of ‘non-traditional’ entry students;

To provide positive role models for future students;

To contribute to the further development of inclusive policies and practices in widening participation and access to HE;

To influence targeted learning and teaching strategies to support the development of learning of non-traditional entry students;

To produce materials for publicity and recruitment, pre-course preparation, student induction.

DIVERSITY DIVERSITY ANDAND ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT

Action Action ResearchResearch

Principles and values of the ‘caring’ professions:

social inclusion, social justice, anti-oppressive practices.

Pedagogic Research - The Research EthosPedagogic Research - The Research Ethos



Pedagogy: Education as change/transformation (Giroux)

Critical dialogue (Freire), ‘the engaged voice’ (hooks).




Pedagogy: Education as change/transformation (Giroux)

Critical dialogue (Freire), ‘the engaged voice’ (hooks).

Participatory Research: transformative, emancipatory.


Freire, P. (1985) Pedagogy of the Oppressed Harmondsworth: PenguinGiroux, H. (2001) Theory and Resistance in Education: Towards a Pedagogy for the Opposition London:Bergin and Garvey. hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to Transgress: education as the practice of freedom. London: Routledge Maguire, P. (1987) Doing Participatory Research: a Feminist Approach. Centre for International Education, the University of Massachusetts.

Students as research participants.

No association with attendance or assessment

requirements.

Informed consent, right to withdraw.

Consent to publish.

Opportunity to amend transcripts and give

feedback.

Ethical considerations Ethical considerations

ThemesThemes

Expected:

Social Class‘Race’/EthnicityGenderDisability/DyslexiaFirst in Family in HEFamily Support

Schooling

ThemesThemes

Expected:

Social Class

‘Race’/Ethnicity

Gender

Disability/Dyslexia

First in Family in HE

Family Support

Schooling

Unexpected:

Self-motivation

Aspirations for children

Mental Health

Life-changing events

Complexities : e.g.

perceptions of self as

learner

“No, that was never, that wouldn’t even be there, that was

for the rich kids, that was for people who had money

and who were interested in their children…..”

“I never even at that time considered going into

University. To me going into Further Education was a

stepping stone to get my life back on track, rather than

to go into Higher Education”.

University?University?

MotivationMotivation

“That’s when you realise….. when it’s time to read to your son that you think, you can’t hide this anymore.……. it was definitely me trying to communicate with my son and me realising that all of a sudden what was my fear, I was frightened it was going to become his fear as well, so you want to change that, everything that you’ve not done good at – you want your child to do what you never did, I wanted him to be fantastic in school ………well the pin just dropped and suddenly I thought, no I’m not having him the way I am….so he had tutoring for two years and it did help him”.

TransitionTransition

“……………I didn’t think it would make me feel the way I feel, everyday that I’ve passed, I feel better about myself, I’m like I’ve done it, I shook on my first day, from head to toe and you know little Anna, she’s the one that calmed me down. ……………she hugged me and said you look scared stiff stood there at those gates, I was there for ages at the gate absolutely petrified, she gave me a dead tight hug and said come on kiddo we’re going in together and she kind of marched me in, it was hilarious and then we met D. and M. the same day, it was great and from that day to this, I can’t believe how far I’ve come”.


“Lost, probably. Overwhelmed I think with everything yea, and scared I think because the academic side, with being dyslexic. I think maybe a very small piece in a jigsaw that had to be fitted together, quite lost in a way really, but excited about the journey but scared of not being able to do what was put in front of me.

I walk taller; I actually like myself now. I like being me actually. For the future, I know where I’m going it’s exciting I’ve got a degree under my belt now, it’s going to take me places”.


“ Oh, I was very, very frightened of coming to university but I knew it was something I wanted to do. I had mixed feelings, you know, part of me thought I was going to be the eldest one, part of me thought I was going to be the thick one and everybody would know what they were doing, so it’s changed me a lot. It has given me a lot of confidence, just knowing that at university how many people have got dyslexia and other things that can be as bad...................knowing that I am as good as everybody else in the room. Yes, that definitely came through and dyslexia, not letting it take over everything…..teaching myself to accept it”.

“I am not afraid now……………I am not fearful to admit my dyslexia. In the first year, it was worse than swearing at you to admit I was dyslexic. My head would go down and I would just feel myself give up inside. I would think, she is not going to like me, she is going to think I am daft………..whereas now, I would just say it and there is no hiccup. It was just accepting myself…..

My ambitions? At the moment, to be a good social worker and I

don’t want to stop learning........... Yet, four years ago, when I first did my BTEC Care, it was like, I can’t do essays, I can’t do this. A dissertation of 8000 and 10, 000 words, it was like wow, all of a sudden, finally I can do things. Talk about walk tall!”


Manchester Metropolitan University:

Biological Sciences, Law and Photography

University of Liverpool: Archaeology

Stockport College: Social Work

Five Undergraduate Programmes

TheThe SHOCK ABSORBER SHOCK ABSORBER ProjectProject

A Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship Scheme Project to Support and Retain the First Year Learner

The first week was a reality check and it made a lot of people realise they weren't as ready for university as they first thought. Sure everyone settled during fresher’s week and made friends, but the education side of university life was definitely a culture shock for me. (Straight from school?).

Had not studied for over 12 months and it was a shock to the system which was greater than I realised it would be. (After a ‘gap year’?).

After having spent two years out of education and working full time it was a far bigger culture shock than I expected. (Mature entrant?).

Manchester Metropolitan University SU Survey 2008

Alleviating the SHOCK of early weeks at UniversityAlleviating the SHOCK of early weeks at University

• a flexible and adaptable ‘toolkit’ for

pre-entry, induction and early first year

activities that alleviate the ‘shock’ or anxiety often

associated with early experiences in HE.

and • continued learning, teaching and assessment

strategies that increase student confidence,

knowledge and scholarship skills.

Key SHOCK ABSORBER components:Key SHOCK ABSORBER components:

Pre-entry engagement

Inclusive and participatory Induction programme

Early contact with tutor

Opportunities for social learning

Diagnostic assessment

Formative assessment

Early, constructive feedback

TTOOPPIICC

OOFF

FFIIRRSSTT

AASSSSEESSSSMMEENNTT

Documents

ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF NON- STANDARD ENTRY STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION KATE KIRK MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY HEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2010