Going to university? Exploring the value and purpose of Higher Education for first year sport students.

Pheasey, C. G. M. (2020) Going to university? Exploring the value and purpose of Higher Education for first year sport students. Doctoral thesis (EdD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the social constructions underpinning undergraduate entry into university, within the current ideological landscape of a neoliberal, marketised Higher Education system. More specifically, this case study explores first year sport students’ understandings regarding the value and purpose of a university education. Adopting a case study methodology, the research design combines qualitative and quantitative methods in order to address three important questions: (i) how is the concept of a ‘student experience’ constructed by newly enrolled undergraduate sport students, (ii) what influenced newly enrolled undergraduate sport students’ decisions to enrol at university, and (iii) do family histories in Higher Education influence sport students’ constructions regarding the value and purpose of university? In accordance with the UK’s post-war policies regarding education as the favoured pathway for social and economic development, the narratives captured within this case study construct a clear purpose for university engagement around post-graduation employment and discourses of fiscal betterment. Moreover, despite state and media concerns regarding the UK’s high university tuition fees, the sport students in this study appeared comfortable accumulating debt in order to finance their future. Importantly, drawing upon the work of Pierre Bourdieu this research also noted the influence of family educational history on sport students’ constructions towards university study. A family background in Higher Education appears to impart a broader awareness of the wider opportunities available through a university education (e.g. personal development and enhanced social networks), whilst, those without this family history (i.e. First in Family students) place sole emphasis on attaining a university degree in order to improve their employment and earning potential. Although, nine months on from their enrolment these First in Family students had developed an awareness of the additional opportunities a university education could offer, in a manner similar to their peers. As a contribution to previous understandings of the UK’s current Higher Education system, this thesis acknowledges the legitimate concerns raised by First in Family literature. However, it also reveals the potential for these students to alter their initial understandings, through engagement with the university experience itself.