ERIC Number: EJ1041541
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0729-4360
EISSN: N/A
"Uni Has a Different Language?…?to the Real World": Demystifying Academic Culture and Discourse for Students from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds
McKay, Jade; Devlin, Marcia
Higher Education Research and Development, v33 n5 p949-961 2014
The Australian government has set ambitious targets for increased higher-education participation of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. There is, thus, a pressing need to explore how best to empower these students with what they require to progress and succeed at university. The paper draws on a literature review and qualitative data from a national study in which 89 students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and 26 staff were interviewed. The paper argues that demystifying academic culture and discourses for these students is a key step institutions and staff can take in assisting students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to progress and succeed at university. A recurring theme to emerge from both the literature and interviews with students and staff was that teaching the discourse empowers and enables students to learn, has a positive impact on their sense of belonging and ultimately helps them succeed in higher education.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Higher Education, College Attendance, Socioeconomic Background, Student Empowerment, Academic Achievement, Qualitative Research, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, College Faculty, Student School Relationship, Semi Structured Interviews, Student Surveys, College Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A