Educational inequality and transitions to university in Australia: aspirations, agency and constraints

Abstract

This paper is based on research into the destinations and aspirations of school leavers in Australia. It investigates the relationship between the transition to university for different groups of students and their own and their parents’ and teachers’ expectations. It draws on Bourdieu, Boudon, Nussbaum and others to investigate the way young people construct their aspirations. It examines the limits of young people’s agency, which is bound by their understanding of the hidden and informal rules that govern access to different spaces within the curriculum as well as access to post-school destinations. Navigating these transitions is becoming more important and more complex with the increasing emphasis on higher level qualifications in an education market.

Keywords:

• Inequality
• Bourdieu
• post-school transtions
• agency
• aspirations
• capabilities

Notes

1. Almost one-third of Australia’s population lives in the state of NSW (32.0%), compared with 25.0% for the state of Victoria and 20.1% for the state of Queensland (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2015).

2. A small proportion of entrants into bachelor’s degree programmes said they were studying at non-university providers.

3. Not in the labour force or education or training does not equate with NEET (not in employment, education or training), as it specifically refers to those not working and not studying but also not looking for work (i.e. not in the labour force).