Student Transitions from Further Education to University

This book presents the life stories and lived experiences of 12 individuals who transitioned from the sixth form of a further education college in a traditionally working-class area of the UK, to higher education. The author employs narrative inquiry in order to explore the participants’ unique perspectives. Theoretically, Bourdieu’s concepts of field and habitus are used to explain how these undergraduates adapted to their new circumstances, which in turn altered their ways of thinking and behaving. The book examines the impact of class on student transition, as well as offering insights into why further education warrants renewed focus, and concludes with a set of recommendations for both policy and practice.

Chapter one.- Introduction.- Chapter two.- The Participants.- Chapter three.- A levels.- Chapter four.– The first undergraduate year.- Chapter five.- How class impacts on education and social mobility.- Chapter six.- Bourdieu, Communities of Practice and self-efficacy.- Chapter seven.- Discussion.- Chapter eight.- Conclusion.

Melanie Beckett was an English A-Level Lecturer at a college in the West Midlands. She recently completed a PhD in Education at Staffordshire University, UK and now works at Arden University as an academic skills tutor. Melanie is also an honorary visiting lecturer at Staffordshire University..