Product Description

Built on research findings and data from a wide variety of empirical and attitudinal sources, this book raises timely issues about elitism, expansion, quality and access in higher education.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #336223 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
'There are several attractive features of this book. It is, first of all, detailed, thorough and reliable. Second, it is coherently organized and structured, and well-written. Third, it synopsises, in the early chapters, a wide range of relevant literature, both sociological and historical ... [It] addresses important and complex issues, and does so from a grounded and thoughtful series of perspectives ... Education, on its own, however radical, cannot solve political problems, only at best contribute significantly to their amelioration. In this work, the authors have made such a contribution, and made it well.' - Richard Taylor, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning

From the Back Cover
Working class groups have historically been excluded from participation in higher education. Past decades have seen an expansion of the system towards a more inclusive higher education, but participation among people from working class groups has remained persistently low. Is higher education unattractive for these groups or are the institutions acting to exclude them?
This thought-provoking and revealing book examines the many factors and reasons why working class groups are under-represented in higher education. In particular, the book addresses issues around differential access to information about university, the value of higher education to working class groups, the costs of participating and the propensity to participate. Issues of gender and ethnicity are also explored and questions are raised for those who are currently involved in 'widening participation' projects and initiatives. A unique feature of the book is that its findings are drawn from an innovative study where the views of both working class participants and non-participants in higher education were explored.
This book will be of interest to students of social policy, educational studies and sociology of education at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Academics, researchers and policy makers nationally and internationally will also find it valuable.