Widening Participation and Social Justice in Higher Education: An International Comparison

教育经常被认为是促进社会公正的关键因素之一，高等教育也不例外。然而，尽管被视为解决不平等问题的潜在解决方案，教育系统本身也可能再现社会其他领域明显存在的不平等。高等教育的大众化创造了新的机会，但深刻的分歧依然存在。在英格兰，条件最优越的18岁学生进入高等教育的可能性是条件较差的学生的两倍，而且更有声望的院校不成比例地录取条件更优越的申请者。至于谁能在大学里获得成功，情况也很复杂，某些方面的特权正在减少，而其他方面的不平等仍然存在。本项目将调查高等教育中与社会公正相关的不平等、政策和学生经历。它将采用国际比较的方法来研究英格兰和波兰，并利用能力方法作为其理论视角。英国的高等教育一直受到重大政策变化的影响，这些政策变化继续实施新自由主义的市场化议程，包括将高等教育定位为学生消费者的私人投资，并鼓励机构之间的竞争。虽然公平入学被认为是政府的一个关键目标，但有人认为，目前的政策只可能加剧不平等。自推翻共产主义以来，波兰对高等教育部门进行了相当大的改革，参与率的提高主要归功于私人供应商。在目前的教育体系中，显著的不平等仍然存在，条件最优越的学生倾向于进入免费的、高质量的全日制公立学校，而条件较差的学生则为不那么有声望的机会付费，从而进入地位较低的职业。到2030年的高等教育发展计划和最近通过的立法可能会显示出对社会正义问题的承诺程度。这个项目将解决四个研究问题：RQ1：在过去的15年里，英国和波兰的高等教育参与模式是什么？什么因素导致了任何观察到的社会经济不平等？RQ2：在过去的15年里，英格兰和波兰的国家高等教育政策是如何解决工作效率和社会正义问题的？最近的立法可能会产生什么影响？RQ3：国家政策如何影响与工作机会和社会正义有关的制度实践？RQ4：我们可以从两国名牌大学的第一家庭成员的学术和社会经历中学到什么？为了解决RQ1，将对二手数据进行定量分析，包括来自HESA、GUS（波兰政府数据）、欧洲学生和欧洲社会调查的数据。为了回答RQ2，将分析国家政策，以确定其哲学基础和可能的影响。为了调查RQ3和RQ4，将在两个国家选择四个机构作为案例研究。将与主要利益相关者面谈，并对访问协议等文件进行抽样和审查。作者还将与学生进行访谈，以了解社会和个人因素在多大程度上影响了他们的能力和生活轨迹。高等教育对国家及其公民的社会经济、智力、文化和道德发展以及福祉至关重要。该项目将对知识做出原创性贡献，并将为未来的政策方向和制度方法形成基于证据的建议。它将为政府和机构各级的学术和从业人员提供宝贵的信息来源。

Education is often cited as one of the key factors in promoting social justice, and Higher Education (HE) is no exception. However, despite being viewed as a potential solution to addressing inequalities, education systems can themselves reproduce the disparities evident in the rest of society. The massification of HE has created new opportunities, but deep divisions remain. The most advantaged 18 year olds in England are twice as likely to enter HE than those who are disadvantaged, and the more prestigious institutions disproportionately admit more advantaged applicants. The picture is also complex with regards to who succeeds at university, with certain aspects of privilege diminishing, and other inequalities persisting.This project will investigate the inequalities, policies and student experiences relating to social justice in HE. It will adopt an international comparative approach to examine England and Poland, and utilise the Capabilities Approach as its theoretical lens. HE in England has been subject to significant policy changes, which have continued the implementation of a neoliberal agenda of marketisation, including situating HE as a private investment for student-consumers, and encouraging competition between institutions. Although fair access has been cited as a key aim of the government, it has been argued that present policies are only likely to entrench inequalities. Poland has undergone considerable reforms to its HE sector since the overthrow of communism, with expansion in the participation rate largely due to private providers. Significant inequalities persist in the present system, with the most advantaged students tending to enter free, high-quality full-time state provision and the less advantaged paying for less prestigious opportunities leading to lower status occupations. A plan for the development of HE until 2030 and recently passed legislation are likely to reveal the degree of commitment to issues of social justice.This project will address four research questions:RQ1: What have been the patterns of HE participation in England and Poland over the last fifteen years, and what factors underlie any observed socio-economic inequalities?RQ2: How have national HE policies in England and Poland addressed WP and social justice in the last fifteen years, and what are the likely implications of the most recent legislation?RQ3: How have national policies influenced institutional practices in relation to WP and social justice?RQ4: What can be learned from the academic and social experiences of first-in-family students attending high-prestige institutions in both countries?To address RQ1, quantitative analyses on secondary data will be carried out, including data available from HESA, GUS (Polish Governmental data), EuroStudent and European Social Survey. To answer RQ2, national policies will be analysed to determine their philosophical underpinnings and likely implications. In order to investigate RQ3 and RQ4, four institutions will be selected as case studies in the two countries. Key stakeholders will be interviewed, and documents such as Access Agreements will be sampled and examined. The author will also conduct interviews with students in an effort to understand the extent to which societal and individual factors have shaped their capabilities and life trajectories.HE is vital to the socio-economic, intellectual, cultural and moral development and wellbeing of countries and their citizens. This project will make an original contribution to knowledge, and will enable the formation of evidence-based recommendations for future policy directions and institutional approaches. It will form a valuable information source for an academic and a practitioner audience at governmental and institutional levels.