Parents in higher education: impacts of university learning on the self and the family

Abstract

Intra‐ and inter‐generational social mobility have been implicit to a wide range of UK Government policies aimed at promoting social inclusion through a focus on education and employability. Framed by these policy initiatives and a critical look at widening participation in higher education, this paper reflects on the impacts of university learning on the self and the family among students with dependent children. With emphasis on, and differences highlighted between, male and female undergraduate students’ own (often gendered) constructions of the impact of their university experiences and aspirations for social mobility, the paper suggests that while these students face numerous and varied barriers to their learning, they are motivated by the impact their studying will have on themselves and their families. Of notable significance is how higher education is perceived to reverberate within the home, promoting a culture of learning among, and encouraging the educational aspirations of, children. The paper concludes that this potential and perceived social mobility necessitates a bridging of the rhetoric of access with a reality of accessibility and retention for those students with caring responsibilities and offers a number of recommendations to encourage this.

Keywords:

• social mobility
• widening participation
• parents’ own learning

Acknowledgements

Thanks to reviewers for insightful and useful comments which have helped focus the paper. Particular thanks to all those who participated in the study especially the students who gave up their time to be interviewed. Thanks also to Mike Watts for initial discussions and John Barker for comments on an early draft.