Veritas Working with You FACE Conference 2009 Report in Progress: BME Students: Great Expectations.

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Working with YouWorking with You

FACE Conference 2009FACE Conference 2009

Report in Progress:Report in Progress:

BME Students: BME Students:

Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations

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Aims for sessionAims for session

Doing educational researchDoing educational research The project in progressThe project in progress Issues when ‘taking on’ an existing projectIssues when ‘taking on’ an existing project Collaborative research at a distanceCollaborative research at a distance Tentative resultsTentative results Sharing knowledge and experienceSharing knowledge and experience Next stepsNext steps

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Getting in and staying inGetting in and staying in

Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Shropshire Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Lifelong Learning and Telford and Wrekin Lifelong Learning NetworkNetwork

An invitationAn invitation Original project proposalOriginal project proposal Negotiations with sponsor and stakeholdersNegotiations with sponsor and stakeholders Revised project and action planRevised project and action plan

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Kicking OffKicking Off

Consultation with LLN and stakeholdersConsultation with LLN and stakeholders Three FECsThree FECs Meetings with individual FECs and key Meetings with individual FECs and key

playersplayers Development and delivery of questionnaireDevelopment and delivery of questionnaire Focus groups ‘out in the community’Focus groups ‘out in the community’ Individual interviews with respondentsIndividual interviews with respondents

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Harsh RealitiesHarsh Realities

Securing ‘buy-in’ from college staffSecuring ‘buy-in’ from college staff Meeting deadlinesMeeting deadlines Developing and proposing alternative ways Developing and proposing alternative ways

to obtain relevant datato obtain relevant data Liaison with sponsor and stakeholdersLiaison with sponsor and stakeholders

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““Hands-on”Hands-on”

Literature ReviewLiterature Review Issues – defining BME learnersIssues – defining BME learners Constructing the questionnaireConstructing the questionnaire A closer look at the questionnaireA closer look at the questionnaire Interim results and some key findingsInterim results and some key findings

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Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations

Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Why the Difference?A Closer Look at Higher Education Minority

Ethnic Students and Graduates(Connor, Tyers, Modood, Hillage, 2004 )

Key Messages

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Minority ethnic people are more likely to take HE qualifications than White people

…aspirations and expectations of the value of, and benefits from, higher qualifications is a more significant positive ‘driver’ for minority ethnic than for White students

‘Great Expectations’

But when the findings in Why the Difference are disaggregated Connor et al found:

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The minority ethnic population does not participate in HE in a uniform way

All minority ethnic groups do not do as well in degree performance as White students on average

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when gender is also taken into account, …the female Bangladeshi participation rate … drops below that of both the White male and female groups

Minority ethnic students are clustered at certain universities, mostly post-92 universities in London This pattern relates to locality (high representation of minority ethnic population in the London area and many students stay locally)

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So BME is not really a very useful So BME is not really a very useful aggregation as it is very difficult to say aggregation as it is very difficult to say anything about this ‘group’ that you do not anything about this ‘group’ that you do not have to qualify immediatelyhave to qualify immediately

‘‘The Devil is in the detail’The Devil is in the detail’ Questionnaire design is rather like playing Questionnaire design is rather like playing

‘battleships’ – you phrase the questions ‘battleships’ – you phrase the questions hoping to hit some aspect of truthhoping to hit some aspect of truth

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Construction of questionnaireConstruction of questionnaire

Initial review of literatureInitial review of literature BrainstormingBrainstorming Feedback from stakeholders including key Feedback from stakeholders including key

members of ethnic minority communitiesmembers of ethnic minority communities Final draft reviewed by LLN Steering GroupFinal draft reviewed by LLN Steering Group Test administration with a small number of BME Test administration with a small number of BME

FE students to check general comprehensibilityFE students to check general comprehensibility

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Questionnaire structureQuestionnaire structure

Five sections – Five sections – Ethnicity (using Census categories) and other Ethnicity (using Census categories) and other

demographic datademographic data Education experience to 16Education experience to 16 Present experience if in education nowPresent experience if in education now Any discontinuities in education - reasonsAny discontinuities in education - reasons Future plans – focused on HEFuture plans – focused on HE

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Questionnaire contentQuestionnaire content

Aim to obtain rich data field – hence lengthAim to obtain rich data field – hence length Mixture of multiple choice, checklists and Mixture of multiple choice, checklists and

short-answer open-ended itemsshort-answer open-ended items Attempt to reduce complexity by using Attempt to reduce complexity by using

sectional structure sectional structure

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The sampleThe sample

Convenience sample of minority FE and 6th Convenience sample of minority FE and 6th FC students (N=47)FC students (N=47)

Includes mature students recently arrived in Includes mature students recently arrived in UKUK

At present shows bias towards Indian and At present shows bias towards Indian and Pakistani origins (No Bangladeshi Pakistani origins (No Bangladeshi respondents)respondents)

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The questionnaire in useThe questionnaire in use

Average completion time 15-20 minutesAverage completion time 15-20 minutes Apparent length may be inhibiting some Apparent length may be inhibiting some

respondentsrespondents Poor response to some itemsPoor response to some items Difficulties in comprehending some questions (e.g. Difficulties in comprehending some questions (e.g.

Q.28)Q.28) See questionnaire - See questionnaire -

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Some DataSome Data

Age: Range 16-48 yrs, Median 21 yrsAge: Range 16-48 yrs, Median 21 yrs Sex: Males = 23, Females =24Sex: Males = 23, Females =24 29 different languages spoken in homes:29 different languages spoken in homes:

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Sample by ethnicity (N=47)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

B/Car

ibbe

an

B/Afri

can

Indi

an

Pakist

ani

Bangl

ades

hi

Asian

Other

Chine

se

Whi

te/B

lack

Car

ibbe

an

Whi

te/A

sian

Mixed

Oth

er

Ethnicity

Nu

mb

er

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Q5: Sample by place of birth (N=47)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Birthplace

Nu

mb

er

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Q 23: Choice of Present Course(Whole sample N=44)

35

19

11

78

1617

8

12

56

5

7

5

11

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

Items

Nu

mb

er

of

Re

sp

on

se

s

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Q23: Factors influencing choice of present course, by sex (N=47)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

Item

Nu

mb

er

of

Resp

on

ses

Male (N=22) Female (N=22)

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Q25: Sources of Support (N=47)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

FT W

ork

PT W

ork

Stud

ent L

oan

Fam

ilyEM

AAL

G

Charit

y

On Ben

efit

NR

Categories of support

Nu

mb

er

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Q 33: University Planned? (N=47)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Yes No Not Sure

Response

Nu

mb

er

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Thank youThank you

For your interest and participationFor your interest and participation Any further questions?Any further questions?

Key Reference:Key Reference:Why the Difference?

A Closer Look at Higher Education Minority Ethnic Students and Graduates

Connor, Tyers, Modood and Hillage , Institute for Employment Studies 2004

Veritas Working with You FACE Conference 2009 Report in Progress: BME Students: Great Expectations.

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Transcript of Veritas Working with You FACE Conference 2009 Report in Progress: BME Students: Great Expectations.