Exploring the BME attainment gap in a Russell Group university: a mixed methods case-study

Quyoum, A. , Powell, S. and Clark, T. (2022) Exploring the BME attainment gap in a Russell Group university: a mixed methods case-study. Education Sciences, 12(12), 860. (doi: 10.3390/educsci12120860)

Abstract

Presenting the results from a mixed methods case-study, this paper draws together insight from the fields of ‘BME attainment’ and ‘student transition’ to explore how differential levels of degree attainment might be experienced within the context of a higher tariff university in England. Across a five-year period (2010/11–2014/2015) it compares the levels of degree attainment between UK-domiciled White and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students in relation to prior attainment, qualification type, and socioeconomic group (POLAR 3). A range of qualitative data then outlines a series of dynamic factors that can, when compounded, serve to constrain BME students’ capability to negotiate their way through very particular university landscapes. These include: academic expectation and preparedness; the pedagogic terrain; pastoral engagement and sense of belonging finance; and, the lived experience of diversity and ‘othering’. The paper argues that attainment gaps should not be viewed in terms of an individual deficit that needs to be ‘fixed’ or ‘filled’. Instead, greater attention needs to be directed toward enhancing the capacity of higher tariff universities to respond positively to the needs of a changing demographic.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Quyoum, Dr Aunam
• Authors: Quyoum, A., Powell, S., and Clark, T.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Education Sciences
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2227-7102
• ISSN (Online): 2227-7102
• Published Online: 25 November 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Education Sciences 12(12): 860
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License