This article presents findings from qualitative research on school exclusion. The study was conducted in a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), part of alternative education provision, in England. Mixed methods used included ethnographic approaches, drama-based group work, focus group discussions and interviews. Research participants were teenage boys (age…

Institutions increasingly use first-generation categorizations to provide support to students. In this study, we sought to understand how students make meaning of their first-generation status by conducting a series of focus groups with 54 participants. Our findings reveal that students saw first-generation status as an organizational and familial…

As first generation (FG)/low income (LI) students enter the elite profession of medicine, schools make presumptions about how FGLI students allocate their time. However, their lives are markedly different compared to their peers. This study argues that while all forms of capital are necessary for success, time as a specific form keeps classism in…

Previous research has examined how mismatched dispositions within a divided or 'cleft' habitus are subjectively experienced but has not adequately explored nor theorized the variety of ways in which the dispositional disjunctures that progressively give rise to a cleft habitus are initially generated. Combining recent sociological work on…

Educational institutions that prioritize diversity and inclusion initiatives can enhance students' sense of involvement and belonging, irrespective of demographic differences. This study aims to explore how college students in Pakistan perceive their academic institutions' support for diversity and inclusion. Convenience sampling was used to…

While previous research has shown that social class is positively correlated with career decision self-efficacy (CDSE), how this relationship develops is unclear. This study tested the mediating effect of career social support on the link between subjective social class and CDSE and the moderating role of birthplace in the mediation model. A…

Higher education initiatives to support students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are widespread. However, there is pervasive concern within public discourse that such widening participation efforts have contributed to a 'dumbing down' of higher education. There are classed dimensions to evaluations of (dis)advantaged students' university…

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 employs the framework of intersectionality to offer a first-person perspective on being an undocumented high school student with college aspirations in the digital age. Using Instagram posts as a data source, the study describes everyday encounters with sexism, racism, classism, and nativism across household, community, and school…

This paper explores ways in which university students articulate understandings of their class positions and perceptions of opportunities for social mobility. The promise that participation in higher education (HE) would lead to social mobility for all has been central to the project of widening participation. However, in the twenty-first century,…

In this qualitative study, we investigated the social class worldviews of Chinese International Students (CIS) in the United States. Social class worldviews are a constellation of beliefs, attitudes, and values that individuals use to maintain a sense of psychological equilibrium within their perceived social class groups and culture. Having…

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the phenomenon of shadow education in Greece. In this research, the quantitative research method is combined with the qualitative method. The results showed that the liberalization of education during the recent decades was accurately implemented in the institution of shadow education. Knowledge…

While educational decisions are considered a key mediator between residential and educational segregation, the role of spatial dimensions in the construction of educational strategies has been only recently studied. This article contributes to linking urban and educational research to examine decisions about schooling, using the case of Santiago,…

As higher education tuition continues to rise in the United States and globally, other costs impacting students, such as fees, parking, and housing, are rising at a similar pace. Concurrently, more higher education institutions are focusing on creating boutique experiences for students, including the option for single-unit housing. This paper…

My dissertation explores the higher education transition decisions made by senior high school students from diverse social backgrounds in Chile. I examine how family, school, and the broader institutional and political context interact with and influence these decisions during times of major social changes and educational reform. Through a…