Description
Book SynopsisWorking towards equity of access to higher education remains a fundamental issue of social justice. Despite substantial efforts to redress historical exclusions via a wealth of government and institutional policies, longstanding enrolment patterns persist and new forms of inequality have emerged in a deeply stratified system.
Community Matters: The Complex Links Between Community and Young People's Aspirations for Higher Education offers a new lens on equity of access. The policy focus, nationally and globally, on widening participation for under-represented target groups too readily treats such groups as if they have a singular voice, a singular history, and a singular set of concerns. Drawing on the perspectives of Australian school students, their parents/carers, teachers, and a vast array of residents from seven diverse communities, this book uses the lens of community' to reframe inequitable access. It does so by recognising the complex social and cultural forces a
Trade Review
"This clear and engaging book draws on rich, extensive mixed-methods data to critically interrogate ideas of 'aspiration'. Showing how communities’ matter in complex ways for the possibility and desirability of young people's access to higher education, this is a thoughtful and valuable resource for researchers and policy-makers alike."
Professor Louise Archer, Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education, University College London (UK)
"This timely publication draws upon the innovative lens of ‘community’ to unpack the diverse and negotiated ways aspirations play out in young people's lives. If you are passionate about supporting youth in realising their dreams, this book provides insights into the ways community resources can be leveraged to ensure that young people's desired educational and professional futures are both enabled and realised."
Professor Sarah O’Shea, Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Curtin University (Australia)
Table of Contents1.Introduction 2. Conceptualising community 3. When university is taken-for-granted: The pressures of social reproduction and mobility 4. When access to university campuses is not enough: The possibility and desirability of higher education 5. On the (im)possibility and (un)desirability of raising university aspirations in rural communities 6. Shaping student aspirations: Why community matters Appendix 1, Appendix 2
