Too often, the student voice on their needs and expectations from a higher education experience is underrepresented. In response to that, by applying a Weberian ideal-type methodological procedure, this work synthesises the students' vision of an ideal university (IU). The model was constructed inductively through a qualitative study using focus…

The growing complexity of doing a PhD necessarily demands candidates to robustly exercise their agency in navigating the doctoral journey. However, the conceptualisation of how students use their agency across multiple facets of their studies has yet to receive due scholarly attention. Drawing on the subject-centred sociocultural view on agency,…

Self-governance and responsibilisation are integral to Basic Key Skills Builder (BKSB) assessments and Functional Skills qualifications. However, very little is known of its neoliberalist effects and the governance practices of tutors teaching disengaged youth taking Functional Skills as part of the overall employability certificate. Adopting a…

This exploratory study addresses a gap in the literature for the potential in assessing domain-specific self-efficacy within the context of Higher Education (HE). Focusing on HE students' participation in extracurricular activities (ECAs), the study builds on the authors' previous research which recognised the impact of ECAs on HE students' lived…

This article examines teachers' perspectives on a neglected area of practice: academic referencing. Commonly considered a simple skill to learn, we suggest that instead a study of referencing practices enables us to glean valuable insight into the challenges experienced by students when developing a learner identity. Drawing on interviews with…

In 2017, 31% of students progressed from further education (FE) to higher education (HE), with many coming from non-traditional backgrounds such as vocational and educational training (VET). The skills, expectations and experiences that VET students bring to HE will differ significantly from those of the traditional A-Level entrants, who are…