Widening Higher Education Participation

Governments have introduced policies to widen the participation of disadvantaged students in higher education. Widening participation policies are also introduced to ensure that higher education contributes to social and economic outcomes. This book includes important insights from 23 leading scholars across 11 countries on a wide range of topics that focus on government policies, institutional structures and the social and economic impacts of widening participation. While widening participation policies and outcomes in developed countries are more widely documented, the policies, achievements, and challenges in other countries such as Brazil, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Palestine are not so widely disseminated. Therefore, the ‘untold stories’ of policies and outcomes of widening participation are a key part of this book. The chapters are organised according to three overarching themes, which include national and transnational studies of the history of widening participation and current policies; inclusive learning and academic outcomes; and socioeconomic structures, concepts and theories.

• Engages prominent academics, earlier career researchers, and research students
• Provides a wide range of topics related to widening participation
• Explores social and economic impact of widening student participation
• Presents untold stories of widening participation in developing countries experiencing growth in youth population

Academics, Research students, Equity practitioners, Government officials and International organisations

Chapter 1. Systemic Equity Challenges: An Overview of the Role of Australian Universities in Student Equity and Social Inclusion

• Introduction
• The Role of Government—An Historical View
• The Role of Schools—Academic Preparation
• The Role of Other Higher Education Providers
• The Role of Universities
• Conclusions
• References

Chapter 2. Taking Stock of 50 Years of Participation in Canadian Higher Education

• Introduction
• Context
• Expansion and Participation from the 1960s to the 1980s
• Structure of the System Today
• Participation Today
• Women
• The Socio-Economically Disadvantaged
• Indigenous Education
• Conclusion
• References

Chapter 3. Widening Participation in Aotearoa New Zealand Tertiary Education Since 2000

• Introduction
• Overview of Policy Developments 2000–2014
• Five Propositions
• Conclusion
• References

Chapter 4. Higher Education in Europe: Widening Participation

• Introduction
• The Bologna Process and the Emergence of Its Social Dimension
• The Open Method of Coordination in the European Union
• Widening Participation in Germany, Sweden, and Scotland
• Conclusion
• References

Chapter 5. The Challenge of Widening Participation to Higher Education in Brazil: Injustices, Innovations, and Outcomes

• Introduction
• Growth of the Private Sector
• Social Mobilization and University Reforms
• Prouni: Initial Response to the Social Movements
• Quotas in Public Universities
• The REUNI Policy
• Conclusion
• References

Chapter 6. Barriers Impeding Access to Higher Education: The Effects of Government Education Policy for Disadvantaged Palestinian Arab and Jewish Citizens

• Introduction
• Methodology
• The Context—Higher Education in the State of Israel
• The Significance of HE for Peripheral Groups in Israel
• HE Expansion in Israel
• Trends in HEI Admissions Policy and Criteria
• Challenges to Access and Equity in Israel
• Israel’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)—Psychometric Testing
• Overcoming Blocks and Achieving Equity in Access to HEI in Israel
• Blocks Encountered by Students Seeking Access to HEI in Israel
• Coping Strategies to Overcome Blocks
• Developing Policy Concerning the Barrier of Psychometric Testing
• Conclusions
• References

Chapter 7. Same Sky, Different Horizon: An Analysis of Disadvantaged Groups’ Access to Prestigious Universities in Mainland China

• Introduction
• Enrollment Systems of HEIs in Mainland China
• Issues of Equity and Disadvantaged Groups
• Family Background and Access to Prestigious Universities
• Enrollment: Silent Revolution or Anti-Revolution?
• Choice of Major
• Ethnicity, Opportunity, and Issues in Debate
• Regional Disparities in the Allocation of Prestigious Universities
• Policies Widening Disadvantaged Groups’ Access to Prestigious Universities
• Government: Widening Preferential Enrollment Policy and Deepening Reform
• Six Prestigious Universities’ Self-Improvement Plans
• Concerns About the Policy
• Conclusion
• References

Chapter 8. Access and Equity in Higher Education in Indonesia: A Review from the Periphery

• Introduction
• Background: The Indonesian Education System
• Trends of Access and Equity in Indonesia Higher Education
• Government Policy: Affordability, Equity, and Access to Higher Education
• Concluding Remarks
• References

Chapter 9. Developing Inclusive Learning to Improve the Engagement, Belonging, Retention, and Success of Students from Diverse Groups

• Introduction
• Differential Outcomes from HE
• Improving the Outcomes for Students from Equity Groups
• What Works? Student Retention and Success Program
• Conclusions
• References

Chapter 10. Widening Participation in Australia: Lessons on Equity, Standards, and Institutional Leadership

• Introduction
• The Australian Widening Participation Agenda
• Equity and Standards
• The Study
• Institutional Lessons on Equity, Standards, and Respect
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References

Chapter 11. The Tension between Access and Success: Challenges and Opportunities for Community Colleges in the United States

• The Role of Community Colleges in the United States
• Community College Students: A Variety of Paths and Outcomes
• Community College Students in Developmental Education
• Community College Students in CTE and Applied Fields
• Signs of Success and Efficiency in CTE Programs
• The Completion Agenda and Access in Community Colleges
• Costs Associated with Noncompletion
• Structured Pathways and Potential Research
• Concluding Remarks
• References

Chapter 12. Widening Access Through Higher Education Transformation: A Case Study of University of KwaZulu-Natal

• Introduction to Higher Education in South Africa
• Conclusion
• References

Chapter 13. The Economic and Social Benefits of Widening Participation: Rhetoric or Reality?

• Introduction
• Defining Widening Participation and Understanding the HE “Market”
• The Potential Economic and Social Benefits of Widening Participation
• Methodological Problems in Identifying the Benefits of Widening Participation
• Recent Evidence on the Economic Benefits of Widening Participation in the United Kingdom
• Conclusions
• References

Chapter 14. University Choosers and Refusers: Social Theory, Ideas of “Choice” and Implications for Widening Participation

• Willkommen to Second Modernity
• Part 1: Choice and the Neoliberal University
• Part 2: Some Ideas About Choice from Social Theory
• Part 3: Choice as a Problematization of Widening Participation: Concluding Thoughts
• References

Chapter 15. Global Perspectives on Widening Participation: Approaches and Concepts

• References