Readings of the core texts

The question of how the documents should be interpreted is central to the

research design of the study. As Cohen et al (2011) note, ‘documents do not speak for themselves but require careful analysis and interpretation’ (p. 253). There are many techniques for approaching documentary analysis, however the study follows a qualitative approach to the thematic analysis, as supported by Scott (1990):

There is no single, widely accepted theory for the measurement of meaning… Measurement should be understood to refer to the processes of coding and classifying source material into the theoretically defined categories required for the researcher’s purpose. Measurement is not always a quantitative procedure (p. 9).

By employing a qualitative approach, the assumptions and ideas upon which the policies are founded can also be examined (Codd, 1988). To facilitate a detailed analysis of each document, the readings of each White Paper are presented separately, in their own chapter. These readings are followed by an analysis of the

concepts across the White Papers as part of the discussion and analysis of the thesis, to draw out patterns of continuity and change in the expressions of access- participation-mobility. Specifically, the analysis of each document is organised around three main strands:

 Situating the core texts in their socio-political and economic environs.  Exploring how the core texts construct and represent the concepts of

access-participation-mobility.

 Considering how the articulations of access-participation-mobility interact with other key policies and themes in the documents.

The readings of the White Papers are guided by a framework put forward by Hyatt (2013) for the critical discourse analysis of policy, which involves ‘contextualising’ and ‘deconstructing’ texts. The contextualisation of the texts in the study also follows advice from Mayr (2008) that, to fully and critically interpret texts, ‘we must work out what the writer is doing through discourse, and how this doing is linked to wider interpersonal, institutional, socio-cultural and material contexts’ (p. 7). Hyatt (2005) recommends a consideration of the ‘immediate’ and ‘medium- term’ socio-political contexts, to highlight the issues of concern, or ‘hot topics’, as well as seeking evidence of any longstanding, or broadly accepted narratives (meta-narratives) and discourses. The process of contextualising the White Papers also considers related policy (second order) texts. Incorporating related texts can facilitate an inter-textual approach, to identify common themes, discourses and concepts of the policy era. Furthermore, an inter-textual approach can help mitigate against distortion, by providing a more balanced, triangulated perspective of the core texts (Hyatt, 2005).

To ensure the second order texts are relevant to the scope of the study, their identification applies Scott’s guidance (1990) for selecting documentary sources based on ‘authenticity’ (whether the document is ‘genuine’), ‘credibility’ (accuracy and extent to which content has been manipulated),

‘representativeness’ (whether it is illustrative of the chosen corpus of texts), and ‘meaning’ (the scope for ‘literal and interpretive’ understandings) (pp. 22-28). To ensure relevance and authenticity to the core texts, the second order texts are

Papers themselves or published during the same period. They include

Government reports, strategies and speeches. Consideration of the second order texts supports the more detailed analysis of the core texts. As such, the review of the supplementary documents is not as extensive or in-depth as that of the White Papers.

The deconstruction of the texts is aimed at understanding how the documents

represent (construct) access-participation-mobility. A detailed reading of each

core text highlights which concepts feature in each White Paper, to what extent, and whether the concepts are presented under different guises or in relation to other, similar concepts. The aim here is to identify evidence of the ideas shaping the articulations of access-participation-mobility within each document and, then, to illustrate how the narratives associated with these notions have developed during the twenty-five year period. Consideration is also given to what the policy expressions of access-participation-mobility might reveal of the broader sets of ideas about higher education, society and the economy during each era.

To support the deconstruction of the texts, the analysis includes a high level consideration of genre. Here, genre includes grammatical characteristics, such as collective pronoun use (e.g. ‘we’ or ‘us’), or metaphor use and active/passive voice (Rogers, 2004b, p. 56). The analysis is interested in how these features contribute to the overall construction of the three concepts in the White Papers. Examining whether genre has changed over time is also important to considering how the framing of access-participation-mobility has evolved, and whether the nature and character of the White Paper is significant to this framing. Exploring genre also assists in evaluating how the policy themes, namely the chosen policy motifs relating to access-participation-mobility, serve to reproduce, reinforce or prioritise specific ideas concerning equity. The notion of condensation symbols is used here as a lens for considering whether specific language or phrases are used to construct and rationalise particular understandings of higher education and its role in society.

The analysis also identifies the drivers, levers and warrant underpinning the access-participation-mobility policies in the White Papers. Policy drivers can be defined as ‘cues to action by those managing and delivering public services; they

provide the framework within which policy levers are developed and

implemented’ (Steer et al 2007, p. 177). Drivers are the conditions or catalysts for action underpinning the main policies and might include macro-economic

conditions, such as an economic boom or recession. Policy levers are the suggested mechanisms through which the policies are to be implemented. A consideration of drivers and levers builds on the contextualisation and deconstruction of the White Papers to illustrate the main purpose and key objectives of the four documents. In turn, this helps to situate the policies on access-participation-mobility within the documents as a whole, and within the suite of reforms they present.

Cochran-Smith and Fries (2001) suggest that examining warrant reveals the ways in which the policies are legitimated and, as a result, helps to identify underlying ‘ideals, ideologies and values’ (p. 13). They define three types of warrant: ‘evidentiary warrant’, the evidence presented to justify and explain the policy goals; ‘political warrant’, whether the policy legitimates its aims by describing them in relation to the interests of public good; and ‘accountability warrant’, how the anticipated outcomes are used to legitimate the policy aims and levers. The analysis draws on the notion of warrant to further understand how the policies on access-participation-mobility are rationalised and whether their justification relates to other reforms set out in the core texts. In this way, the level of importance attached to the policies on access-participation-mobility and to the other policies in the documents provide further insight into understanding how issues of equity are represented.