What do working class students really need to succeed at university?

Description

Scott (2020, p14), Scotland’s Commissioner for Fair Access, highlights that certain student groups are at particular risk of attrition, such as students from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, and it may be that such students require a specific type of support within HE (Ardis, 2020). Despite the barriers to entering higher education being reduced for such students through the widening participation (WP) strategy, following their admittance to university it is often found that little else is done to support their transition into and through university (Tight, 2020).

The aim of this Professional Doctorate research was to improve the student-supporting systems and strategies currently in place within HE establishments, with a particular focus on students from low socioeconomic areas. The study drew upon the experiences and opinions of existing HE students who self-identified as being from working-class backgrounds and the first in their family to go to university. A Listening Rooms approach (Parkin and Heron, 2022) was implemented where, rather than students being interviewed by an academic, they brought along a friend to have a discussion around the topic, without the presence of the researcher, to promote an honest and open discussion.

Findings from the study were that students from a working-class background, with limited financial resources, found that this impacted upon all aspects of their life at university, from their ability to make social connections with peers, to buying resources for their studies, and limiting time for study due to working part-time, and it was evident from the student discussions that they felt high levels of anxiety due to this. Based on these findings, a set of key implications for practice have been identified.

Period	2 Sept 2025
Event title	Education and Society Scholarship Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Dundee, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	Local