Title: Going to university? : exploring the value and purpose of Higher Education for first year sport students
Abstract: This thesis examines the social constructions underpinning undergraduate entry
into university, within the current ideological landscape of a neoliberal, marketised
Higher Education system. More specifically, this case study explores first year
sport students’ understandings regarding the value and purpose of a university
education. Adopting a case study methodology, the research design combines
qualitative and quantitative methods in order to address three important
questions: (i) how is the concept of a ‘student experience’ constructed by newly
enrolled undergraduate sport students, (ii) what influenced newly enrolled
undergraduate sport students’ decisions to enrol at university, and (iii) do family
histories in Higher Education influence sport students’ constructions regarding
the value and purpose of university?
In accordance with the UK’s post-war policies regarding education as the
favoured pathway for social and economic development, the narratives captured
within this case study construct a clear purpose for university engagement around
post-graduation employment and discourses of fiscal betterment. Moreover,
despite state and media concerns regarding the UK’s high university tuition fees,
the sport students in this study appeared comfortable accumulating debt in order
to finance their future. Importantly, drawing upon the work of Pierre Bourdieu this
research also noted the influence of family educational history on sport students’
constructions towards university study. A family background in Higher Education
appears to impart a broader awareness of the wider opportunities available
through a university education (e.g. personal development and enhanced social
networks), whilst, those without this family history (i.e. First in Family students)
place sole emphasis on attaining a university degree in order to improve their
employment and earning potential. Although, nine months on from their
enrolment these First in Family students had developed an awareness of the
additional opportunities a university education could offer, in a manner similar to
their peers. As a contribution to previous understandings of the UK’s current
Higher Education system, this thesis acknowledges the legitimate concerns
raised by First in Family literature. However, it also reveals the potential for these
students to alter their initial understandings, through engagement with the
university experience itself.
Publication Year: 2020
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Language: en
Type: dissertation
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