Nuts and bolts session

Title: Access to Tertiary Studies: What Helps and What Hinders

Helen Anderson

Abstract

The ongoing "Voices from Manukau" research project is investigating the experience of accessing tertiary studies of students in The University of Auckland Bachelor of Education (Teaching) degree.

This session is designed to share the themes which have emerged from analysis of the first year’s interviews (51). Significant effort has been expended to mandate student perceptions and this approach has been rewarded with some findings which challenge existing beliefs about how to ensure accessibility of tertiary studies to diverse populations. The session will look at the research findings to date in conjunction with their implications for institutional practices. As a project in progress the presenter welcomes debate about the project, its findings and its practical applications.

Themes to be discussed include: participation in the discourse of academia, inclusion/ exclusion with regard to social, cultural and academic groupings, student perceptions of the role of administration, support services and academic staff, and student perceptions of their roles as future educators in diverse urban schools.