Student Voices on Inequalities in European Higher Education ─ Challenges for Theory, Policy and Practice in a Time of Change

This book focuses on the voices and experiences of non-traditional students in European higher education. It examines the impact that access to higher education is having on these students’ lives and discusses what this tells us about European education and society. In particular, it explores the multi-dimensional nature of inequality in varied national contexts focusing on the issues of class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability. The book contributes to the on-going debate about the changing nature of European higher education and argues that research based on the experiences of non-traditional students can be used to improve policy and practice in tertiary education.

The book covers topics including:

• the contemporary nature of inequality and how the various forms of inequality intersect and overlap in higher education and society
• the formation and transformation of learner identities
• the structural barriers faced by non-traditional students
• the sources of student resilience and agency
• comparison of patterns of inequality, access and retention in various European countries
• the implications of these findings for practice and policies.

This monograph will appeal to academics, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners working in higher education institutions as well as people working in the field of widening participation, adult education, access and centres for teaching and learning. It will also interest to postgraduate students in higher education.

Fergal Finnegan is Lecturer in Adult and Community Education at the Department of Adult and Community Education, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland.

Barbara Merrill is Associate Professor in Lifelong Learning at the Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Warwick, UK.

Camilla Thunborg is Associate Professor in Education at the Department of Education, Stockholm University, Sweden.