Expectations of HE

In the first part of this chapter, I want to suggest that, despite attending talks at their respective sixth forms and university open days, the majority of participants tended only to concentrate on what I might view as being the negatives attached to participation, although I do realise that viewing them as negatives may be the result of my own predisposition towards participation in HE. I focus on the apparent impact that their sixth form and specific members of staff have had on the participants’ decision making, in trying to reshape their habitus with regard to HE participation. I want to suggest that, ultimately, my participants, due to their working-class and socially deprived

backgrounds, seem to believe that their habitus does not fit the field of HE.

When asked about their expectations of HE participation and attending university, the majority of participants were uncertain. After initially explaining that they had attended various events and open days, in the majority of cases the participants, somewhat surprisingly, appeared to be unsure about what to expect, in spite of the sessions they

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had attended. The comments of participant 1 quite nicely summarise the general consensus of the majority when asked about their expectations of university life:

I haven’t really got that much expectation for university ‘cause I don’t really know anybody who’s been or what’s involved; I’m not right certain about any of it, to be honest.

Table 5 - Participant 1

Participant Gender Age Ethnicity Highest Qual.

Place of Study Ward

1 M 17 White,

British

Level 3 Village Sixth Form

Worsbrough

When probed further about what they expected from university life, the participants shared more information. Of particular interest were the issues and areas that they chose to concentrate on. Perhaps not surprisingly, they seemed to concentrate on things they viewed less than favourably and this seemed to have shaped their views on HE participation. Lots of students/people, massive lectures, lots of independent study, lots of work and lots of time off were alluded to by the majority of the participants. This can be illustrated by the interview testimony of participants 3, 5, 22, 23, 24 and 29:

I know my friend Amanda’s boyfriend goes and he gets loads and loads of time off. I think he’s had five months off...what’s the point of that? But I think you have to work more independently though when you’re in uni so that’s summat else I’d have to get ready for as well.

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Table 6 - Participant 3

Participant Gender Age Ethnicity Highest Qual.

You have to work on your own…I’m already no good with deadlines.

If I’m being honest, I’m not sure what studying at uni would be like.

Table 7 - Participant 5

Participant Gender Age Ethnicity Highest Qual.

I expect it to be right big classes and, you know, loads of people and I’d get right nervous about that like asking for help.

Table 8 - Participant 22

Participant Gender Age Ethnicity Highest Qual.

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Loads and loads of essays and stuff and lectures and listening to people. Depends what you wanna do really, isn’t it? Like, if you wanted to do summat that wasn’t really practical, you’d really just be sat listening and writing and not much else really.

Table 9 - Participant 23

Participant Gender Age Ethnicity Highest Qual.

...I’d be in a massive lecture room, and I’d have to work independently without any help from my teacher (see Table 4, p.136).

Environment ‘cause like, you’re in a different environment to what you’re usually in and different people like you know, more hours. I don’t know what else.

Table 10 - Participant 29

Participant Gender Age Ethnicity Highest Qual.

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I want to suggest that habitus, a central tenant of Bourdieu’s approach and philosophy of practice, is a useful concept to help analyse the participants’ expectations and understanding of participation in HE. As discussed in Chapter 3 the participants’

habitus is structured by both their past and present circumstances. For example, their educational experiences, both at school and at their respective sixth forms, help to shape both their present and future practices (Maton, 2012). A basic introduction to university life has, at least in part, shaped their decision making, or at least that is how it appears, with both sixth forms encouraging them to participate in HE, to shape their habitus. The idea of shaping and remoulding habitus which is central to Colley’s (2003) work on engagement mentoring is important. The respective sixth forms, and

particularly the specific Learning Mentor and Progress Coach, appear to have

attempted to change the mind-set of the participants by extolling the value and virtues of HE to them, encouraging them to participate. To a lesser or greater extent, their habitus seems to have been treated as something that is pliable and easily reshaped.

Interestingly though, it does not appear to have worked for the majority of participants, as their ‘strategies of action’ were not shifted towards HE participation in spite of the pedagogic action that was carried out. As participant 23 (see Table 9, p.140) discusses when considering participation, “…they’re always on about it... they are trying to

brainwash us...”. Explanations as to why the brainwashing appears not to have worked can be found later within this chapter and in Chapter 6.

In fact, when considered more closely, the information the participants received about HE participation is just one of a plethora of reasons why they appear to have chosen not to participate. Significantly, habitus does not act alone; an unconscious relationship exists between the participants’ habitus and the fields that they inhabit. Whilst the

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participants’ practices are determined by their dispositions - their habitus - they are also impacted upon by the position they hold within, and the current state of play in, any field they inhabit (Maton, 2012). I would like to suggest that there may be a mismatch

between the structure of the field of HE and the habituses of the majority of participants, as they seem to be considering potential social situations at university where they

anticipate feeling awkward or uncomfortable (Maton, 2012). Their dispositions have generated a perception of HE participation which makes them feel uncomfortable and they appear to think that they would be “...like a ‘fish out of water’” (2012, p.56).

Consequently, this appears to be one reason why they think participation in HE “...is not for the likes of me.” (p.56). Their habitus seems to be well-matched to the sub-field of sixth form education, however it was mismatched with the field of HE, or so they thought.

The fact that the participants were concerned about being ‘fish out of water’ (Bourdieu, and Wacquant, 1989,1992) before they even experienced HE is of particular interest and could be accounted for, to some extent, by the participants’ working-class

backgrounds. Coming from such a background means that they are likely to share particular positions within society that could be seen as being similar in structure and consequently impact on their decision making. I am drawn back to Cuff et al. (2006) as the background of the participants exposes them to particular environments which could be seen to make them behave in a particular way, and be concerned about being ‘fish out of water’ (Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1989,1992). Although the participants are individuals with a configuration of social forces that is unique, because these forces are social, even when the participants were seemingly being different, individual and unique in choosing not to participate, they appear to have done this in a socially regular way

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(Maton, 2012 citing Bourdieu, 1977). I am reminded of the work of Crozier et al. who proposed that part of the preparation for HE participation involved the “…inculcation of self-confidence” (2010, p.67). Whilst HE participation can be presented as clear-cut and natural for students of middle-class families, it is very different for the participants of this study. They do not really know what to expect as there is nobody within their

immediate family to whom they can talk about what it is like to be at university (the importance of parent(s)/family is considered at length in Chapter 6). It is not altogether surprising, therefore, that participation might be viewed with uncertainty.