Youth Identities, Education and Employment: Exploring Post-16 and Post-18 Opportunities, Access and Policy

163 Pages·2017·9.223 MB·English

by  Dr. Kate Hoskins (auth.)

Policy and Practice in the Classroom
Series Editors
Richard Race
School of Education
University of Roehampton
London, United Kingdom
Barbara Read
School of Education
University of Glasgow
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Alaster Scott Douglas
School of Education
University of Roehampton
London, United Kingdom
This serieswill publishmonographsexploringissuestodowitheducation
policyandpracticeinrelationtoclassroomsettings,witheachbookexam-
ining the implications of its research findings for educational policy and
practice.Themesexploredincludeteachingandlearning;youthidentities;
inclusive education; education policy-making; de-schooling; student
teachers;theprimaryclassroom;andscienceteachers.Ifyouhaveapropo-
salfortheseriesyouwouldliketodiscusspleasecontact:EleanorChristie,
[email protected]
More information aboutthisseries at
http://www.springer.com/series/14548
KateHoskins
Youth Identities,
Education
and Employment
Exploring Post-16 and Post-18 Opportunities,
Access and Policy
KateHoskins
SchoolofEducation
UniversityofRoehampton
London,UnitedKingdom
PolicyandPracticeintheClassroom
ISBN978-1-137-35291-0 ISBN978-1-137-35292-7(eBook)
DOI10.1057/978-1-137-35292-7
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017940473
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Formy family: Damien, ZacharyandDylan
A
CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Centre for Education
Research in Equalities, Policy and Pedagogy (CEREPP) for funding the
researchprojectthatinformsthisbook.Iwouldliketoexpressmysincere
gratitude to Professor Gill Crozier and Professor Penny Jane Burke for
theirsupport.
I would also like to thank my student and teacher participants at
Parkfield School for their generosity in giving up their precious time to
take partin myresearch.Iam indebtedto them.
Thanks also to Dr Barbara Read, Dr Alaster Douglas and Dr Richard
Race for commissioning and reading drafts of this work. They have been
incredibly patient and supportive throughout the process. Thanks also to
DrSueSmedleywhoprovidedextremelyusefulcommentsondraftsofthis
work.
Finally,thanksmustgotomyfamilyfortheirconstantlovingsupport.
Sincere thanksto Damien, ZacharyandDylan. Youarewonderful!
vii
C
ONTENTS
1 TheChanging Landscape ofOpportunity for YoungPeople 1
Graduation,Graduation,Graduation 1
Themesof theBook 3
Economic,Social and Policy Context 3
TheEmpiricalStudy 5
TheoreticalFramework 11
ResearchingIdentity 15
Overviewof Chapters 18
ConcludingRemarks 20
Notes 20
2 TheChanging Contextof FurtherandHigher Education
andYouth Employment 23
Introduction 23
TheChanging Policy Contextin England:The Influence
ofNeoliberalism 24
Neoliberalismand Further Education:Cutsto Financial Support 25
Neoliberalismand HigherEducation: UniversityTuition Fees 28
TheWideningHigher Education ParticipationAgenda 33
HigherEducation TuitionFees: The Situationin Greece
andSpain 36
YouthUn/Employmentin England 39
YouthUn/Employmentin Greeceand Spain 42
ix
x CONTENTS
ConcludingRemarks: TheChanging Contentof Further
Education,HigherEducationandtheYouthEmploymentMarket 43
Note 45
3 Post-16 Educational ChoicesandDecision-Making:
TheRole of PolicyandIdentity 47
Introduction 47
TheChanging Further Education PolicyLandscape: Removal
ofEMA 49
RemovalofEMA: The Teachers’Perspectives 54
GenderandPost-16 Subject Choice: ‘StatsIs theGirlie Version
ofMaths’ 59
EthnicityandPost-16 Subject Choices 72
ConcludingRemarks: Policy,Identity and Post-16 Pathways 76
4 Post-18 Educational Choices:‘OurStudents Need
toAvoid theeasyJet Version ofUniversities’ 79
Introduction 79
PlanningUniversity:The Role ofthe School andTeachers 80
Planningto Attendan EliteUniversity:Value for Money? 87
PlanningUniversity:Costs andConcerns 90
PlanningUniversity:Family Expectationsand Influences 92
PlanningUniversity:Doing It forYourself 94
Identity andUniversity Courses 96
ConcludingRemarks: ChoosingUniversity:Widening
Participationand Social JusticeConcerns 104
Note 107
5 AlternativePossibilities andPathways: Youth Employment
andApprenticeships ina GraduateWorld 109
Introduction 109
EmploymentPlans: Precarityand Uncertainty 110
AccessingEmployment: Bondingand BridgingSocial Capital 116
Narrowing ofPost-18 Options:The Teachers’Perceptions
ofNon-graduateEmploymentPossibilities andPathways 116
Apprenticeships 121
ConcludingRemarks: TheNeed foran AlternativeVision
ofEducation 123
CONTENTS xi
6 TheContemporary ContextofYouth Participation
andIdentities: Challengingthe Status Quo 125
Introduction 125
Post-16and Post-18 Pathways–TheEnduring Influence
ofIdentity 126
Post-16andPost-18Pathways–TheRoleofParentsandTeachers 131
YouthUn/Employment 132
ThePotentialof aMulti-dimensionalSocial Justice Approach
to EqualiseYouth Opportunities 133
Bibliography 137
Index 155