Between two worlds: local students in higher education and ‘scouse’/student identities

✍ Scribed by Clare Holdsworth

• Book ID: 105361225
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 97 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1544-8444
• DOI: 10.1002/psp.511

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The restructuring of higher education (HE) finance and concomitant expansion of HE in England have implications for how students are recruited and their experiences of HE. While universities continue to be dominated by traditional entrants, widening participation policies have enabled more students from less‐advantaged backgrounds to study at university. One trend that is emerging as part of these activities is how the traditional expectation of leaving home to go to university is not necessarily being followed by ‘non‐traditional’ entrants, and many choose to study at their local university. This has implications for their experiences of student life as they have to negotiate the assumption that students are not ‘locals’ and vice versa. This paper explores how the assumption of mutual exclusivity of local and student identities is produced and perpetuated through limited interactions between ‘students’ and ‘locals’ and the implications these have for local students, who may find themselves isolated between the two communities. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.