This article draws on a research project about the transition from PhD student to academic (British Academy-Leverhulme research grant, 2020-2022). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 recent PhD graduates and six PhD supervisors. Transcripts were subjected to a thematic analysis. On a theoretical level, the article is informed by…

This paper draws on 'diaspora at home', a concept that encapsulates the unique dynamics between Hong Kong and mainland China, as an analytical tool to explore the cross-border experiences of 23 Hong Kong students at 11 universities in mainland China. It empirically ascertains how the made and imposed claims and identifications of these Hong Kong…

This study looked to explore the access to academic social capital for those who have considering dropping out. The research utilized social network analysis, specifically ego networks, to explore how four individuals from an alternative school perceived their own social networks. Name generators, name interpreters, and name interrelators were…

Given that exclusive boarding schools in Germany are repeatedly referred to in public and academic discourses as places of elite education, the question arises as to the consequences of boarding school socialisation and how these schools affect the post-school biographies of their alumni. This qualitative study examines the autobiographies of…

The extant literature on parental involvement in the university choice process sheds light on the positive impact of parents' social capital on enrolment. Little research captures the complex dynamics of parental social capital that might within certain sociocultural and economic contexts compound the effects on university choice and access. This…

This article attempts to bridge a divide between the empirical use of Bourdieu's concepts and the theoretical discussion of field theory with regard to education. I ask how a school can be 'international' where education is predominantly embedded in nation-states. First, I introduce field theory and its applications to globalization and education.…

Research on homework, particularly using qualitative approaches, is neglected in sociological literature. This qualitative study uses a Bourdieusian interpretive lens to explore parental homework practices in a middle-class, urban setting in Ireland. In-depth semi-structured interviews were held with six parents and six teachers of pupils aged…

The focus of this paper is to investigate what type of support high-achieving Swedish upper secondary students from families with low socioeconomic and educational capital, identified contributed to embark on a successful educational career. The analytical framework of the study is concepts that have emerged in empirical studies inspired by both…

In this article we describe evolving educational aspirations and practices of female high school students and their families in the context of rapidly changing education and employment markets in Kolkata. We interviewed 35 families of girls attending two government high schools. The families are from lower middle-class and lower income…

Becoming a university graduate has long been considered the route to individual occupational and social mobility, while educating more citizens has been assumed to add to a nation's human capital and competitiveness. University education has come to be associated with individual and societal aspiration. However, changes in the labour market…

We focus on transition from school or employment to university and analyze how social network characteristics and the quantity of social capital (SC) influence the assessment of help in selecting a program of study. We analyze data of undergraduate students at a German university and find that SC has an amount and a context effect. First, we…

Framing professional learning as a social practice underscores the interplay between subjective meaning systems and objective conditions of the social space where learning occurs. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of social practice, and methodologically guided by critical realism, the paper identifies what constitutes effective teacher…

Based on a qualitative study conducted in austerity-stricken Greece, the paper provides a micro-level exploration of the mechanics of intergenerational transmission of (dis)advantage. Utilising the Bourdieusian toolbox, the paper enquires into familial practices through the lens of young people's perceptions, focusing on the mobilisation of…

This study qualitatively explores expertise as a critical resource on which quality teaching depends. The study sample is comprised of six South African schools from the poorest poverty quintiles achieving relatively higher and lower academic outcomes. From interview data gathered over three years with teachers and other school staff, findings…

This paper utilises ideas of correspondence as a way of thinking about intersections between school and work in Singapore's developmental state. Whereas the principle of correspondence predicts segregated patterns of association between school and work, this paper shows how a developmentalist form of political economy gives rise to crosscutting,…