An investigation into the impact of the 2012 English higher education funding reforms on student engagement in higher education policymaking

英国高等教育资助体系在2012年发生了巨大变化，本科生名额上限被取消，学费上限被延长至9,000英镑（博尔顿，2021年）。自该政策实施10年以来，拟议的研究将询问费用责任从国家到学生个人的转变是否以及如何改变了学生参与政策过程的能力和意愿。这项研究将审查公众参与，特别是学生和他们的倡导者，在过去十年中，调查学生如何个人和集体影响高等教育政策的过程。该研究将应用Sabatier和Jenkin-Smith（1980）的倡导联盟框架（ACF）来合理化政策演变的复杂性。该框架概述了需要10年的发展来全面分析政策进程。ACF侧重于竞争行为体、资源和网络在实现政策变革中的作用（Cairney，2020年）。ACF的一个关键特征是确定行为者在政策过程中何时以及如何改变信仰体系（Sabatier和Weible，2007）。这项研究将设法查明高等教育政策中由学生或由支持行动者组成的宣传联盟推动的变化。该研究将重点关注高等教育政策如何通过自下而上的创新，即由学生领导或参与（Hartley，2014）。本研究通过分析参与式研究、公民参与产生想法或决策以及公众咨询等参与式审议过程的使用情况，探讨是否发生了系统的公众参与。主要研究问题是2012年英国高等教育经费改革对学生参与高等教育决策的影响。基于两个领域的调查：自2012年以来，采用了什么样的参与审议过程，使学生能够参与决策？自2012年以来，学生可以通过什么机制为英国高等教育政策的公众咨询做出贡献？这项研究将探讨学生参与政策过程的正式记录，并将收集新的定性数据，在政策过程中的隐蔽参与，以及证据的情况下，演员被拒之门外参与。

The English higher education funding system changed drastically in 2012, when the cap on undergraduate student places was removed, and the tuition fee limit was extended to £9,000 (Bolton, 2021). 10 years since the policy was implemented, the proposed research will interrogate if and how the shift in fee liability from the state to individual students has altered students' ability and willingness to engage in the policy process. The study will examine public participation, specifically that of students and their advocates, over the decade to investigate how students have individually and collectively influenced higher education policy processes. The study will apply Sabatier and Jenkin-Smith's (1980) advocacy coalition framework (ACF) to rationalise the complexity of policy evolution. The framework outlines that 10 years of development is required to comprehensively analyse the policy process. The ACF focuses on the role of competing actors, resources and networks to achieve policy change (Cairney, 2020). A key feature of the ACF is identifying when and how actors create change to belief systems during the policy process (Sabatier and Weible, 2007). The research will seek to identify changes in higher education policy that were driven by students or advocacy coalitions, made up of supportive actors. The research will focus on how higher education policy has been informed by bottom-up innovation, that is led by, or engages, students (Hartley, 2014). The study will explore if systematic public engagement has occurred by analysing the use of participatory-deliberative processes such as participatory research; citizen engagement in the generation of ideas or decision making; and public consultations.The main research question will investigate the question How has the 2012 English higher education funding reform impacted student engagement in higher education policymaking? is underpinned by two areas of investigation: What participatory-deliberative processes have been employed to enable students to participate in policymaking since 2012?What mechanism have been available to students to contribute to public consultations on English higher education policy since 2012?The study will explore formal records of student participation in the policy process and will gather new qualitative data on covert engagement in the policy process together with evidence of occasions where actors were shut out from participating.