Review of first CRESJ Autumn seminar
Posted on 5 November 2018
The seminar, titled “Injustice in our house: Addressing unequal student experiences and outcomes in higher education,” was well-attended by both CRESJ staff and students and external guests. Jessica presented two projects: her PhD thesis on the experiences of the daughters of single mothers in higher education and her work on the current HEFCE-funded project, Changing Mindsets, which uses a combination of sociological and psychological methods to address attainment gaps among higher education students.
In her thesis research, she found that a common feeling among daughters of single mothers in higher education was that of alienation--they often felt like they couldn’t participate in classroom settings because they would be judged as illegitimate higher education students. In the ongoing Changing Mindsets project, she found that staff with a growth mindset (e.g. a willingness to see people as able to change and grow) held less stereotypical beliefs about students from marginalised groups in higher education. She utilised audience participation by inviting attendees to participate in polls on their phones or tablets, and closed with a brief discussion of what each person individually may do to make higher education a more equal place. To learn more about Jessica’s current research, you can visit the Changing Mindsets project page on University of Portsmouth’s website.
CRESJ's next seminar will be 6 February 2019 from 3.30pm-5pm. Dr. Richard Waller of the University of West of England, Bristol, will be presenting on social class inequalities in university admissions.