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Widening participation in England has been framed around two primary needs; raising attainment and raising aspiration. Whilst aspiration is complex, policy definitions often frame it in narrow economic terms and see access to higher education as primarily about developing a workforce, the underlying logic being that to improve social mobility that individuals need to "aim higher". Pre-entry work with under-represented groups therefore has tended to adopt a deficit of aspiration approach. There has been extensive critique of the deficit model yet "raising aspirations" still endures in both national and institutional policy. Drawing on sixteen semi-structured interviews with widening participation practitioners in England, this paper considers the alignment between policy and practice. It explores the more complex and nuanced view of aspiration held by practitioners and how this more closely aligns with the theory of possible selves. This paper argues that there are two key issues; a disjuncture between policy and practice and a gap in understanding of the structural issues associated with aspiration. The paper argues that the solution involves a radical rethink of policy that returns to a focus on helping individuals to realise their own individual aspirations and more clearly acknowledges the structural constraints shaping the formation, vocalisation and realisation of aspirations.

Access to higher education is a global concern due to its dual role in transforming individual lives and value for global economic systems. However, pre-entry interventions to improve access often make comparatively little impact on who attends certain types of universities. Drawing upon a study that examined policy and practice relating to access to higher education conducted in 2016-2017 in England, this article furthers a theoretical discussion relating to the role institutional norms play in maintaining this status quo and why inequities endure especially in elite universities. In doing so, it highlights how institutional doxa can illuminate how taken-for-granted ideals shape policy and practice. This article theorises that institutional doxa shapes notions of who is seen as having 'potential', examines why doxic positions in relation to 'potential' endure and are rarely impacted by practices. This theorisation offers an important contribution to research on access to higher education as by foregrounding the central role played by these assumptions within marketised higher education systems this enables them to be challenged and deconstructed in order to effect meaningful progress on issues of access to higher education.

Widening participation in higher education is driven by policy that is then enacted by individual practitioners. Practitioners bring with them a wealth of personal and employment experiences which shape their interpretations and enactments. Drawing on 16 in-depth semi structured interviews with practitioners across seven universities in England, a classification is developed in order to conceptualise their orientations to policy enactment. Whilst nationally focused, this study has international resonance especially in marketised higher education systems where policies are similarly enacted. The model developed within the article proposes that personal and professional experience can cause practitioners to orient towards the interests of the institution or the individuals they work with. This orientation can be in compliance with institutional policy or adopt a more transgressive stance. Through deeper theorisation of practitioner positions, we can better understand how to ensure work in this area better serves the individuals whom it is targeted at.

The COVID-19 pandemic creates an immediate need to deliver existing pre-entry widening participation outreach work remotely. In doing so this means rethinking existing programmes and adapting existing working practices. This paper proposes a three-dimensional framework involving pedagogical, technological and the humanistic elements. It argues that any technological solutions need to consider the inequalities of access to technology and the barriers faced by both practitioners and students. Understanding the changing nature of this work alongside the potential time and investment needed to realise its potential is vital for all staff with strategic and operational responsibility related to access and participation. Whilst some existing pre-entry work may not translate to this new mode, online outreach has the potential to open up new ways to engage and inspire target learners over sustained periods through combined creation and curation of content.

This paper examines two contrasting creative methods; a drawing task and a LEGO building task used in a study exploring the gap between policy and practice in widening participation to higher education across two different types of university in England. These creative methods were used within 16 semi-structured interviews in seven universities to attempt to explore deeper understandings of everyday policy and what they mean in practice and to make comparisons across types of institutions. This paper examines the role that creative confidence played in the effectiveness of both methods through exploring the successes and failures of each arguing that understanding these barriers can improve the successful use of these methods, especially with adults. When these barriers are overcome, the paper also demonstrates how creative methods encouraged more reflective discussion of everyday issues, increased levels of rapport, and shared engagement in the interview process.

The impact of widening participation policy and how it is enacted institutionally is a central concern to Higher Education. It is not simply about the admission of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but also ensuring that these students complete their courses successfully. This work therefore goes far beyond those departments tasked with access and outreach and has implications for staff across all academic and support service areas. The way in which national policy is interpreted and translated into local policy can therefore affect the whole institution. To bring a spotlight on these issues, this paper will focus on a case study of a single elite institution in England. Focusing primarily on selection of students, it will examine how selection measures can in fact reproduce inequalities. It will therefore demonstrate how this programme may not improve access to Higher Education but instead focuses on ensuring that students already on a path to Higher Education choose this institution in preference to others.

Twitter and other social networking sites have much to offer doctoral students, especially given that models for doctoral education are increasingly becoming more diverse with more students studying part-time for traditional PhDs, or on programmes such as professional doctorates. Prior research has highlighted the benefits of Twitter but, as other studies show, its use amongst doctoral students is not always common place. Social networking sites such as Twitter allow for virtual networks to develop and supplement traditional institutional networks, and for many students these are becoming increasingly vital to combat the loneliness of the doctoral researcher. In this paper I have reflected on some of my own uses of Twitter and argue that its impact upon my development can be theorized through Margaret Archer's notion of the internal conversation. This is done through drawing on autoethnographic reflections of my own doctoral experiences and through this extends understandings of reflexivity into digital spaces. In doing so, this paper also highlights different ways in which Twitter can support these conversations. This paper also foregrounds some of the potential challenges of moving these conversations into a public space, such as the need to build networks, and the potential implications of putting emerging thinking into a permanent form. In considering these issues, this paper offers suggestions on how effective Twitter use can be supported in doctoral training to ensure that doctoral students can enjoy its affordances and be prepared to navigate the potential challenges it poses to the emerging researcher.

Widening participation in England has been framed around two primary needs; raising attainment and raising aspiration. Whilst aspiration is complex, policy definitions often frame it in narrow economic terms and see access to higher education as primarily about developing a workforce, the underlying logic being that to improve social mobility that individuals need to "aim higher". Pre-entry work with under-represented groups therefore has tended to adopt a deficit of aspiration approach. There has been extensive critique of the deficit model yet "raising aspirations" still endures in both national and institutional policy. Drawing on sixteen semi-structured interviews with widening participation practitioners in England, this paper considers the alignment between policy and practice. It explores the more complex and nuanced view of aspiration held by practitioners and how this more closely aligns with the theory of possible selves. This paper argues that there are two key issues; a disjuncture between policy and practice and a gap in understanding of the structural issues associated with aspiration. The paper argues that the solution involves a radical rethink of policy that returns to a focus on helping individuals to realise their own individual aspirations and more clearly acknowledges the structural constraints shaping the formation, vocalisation and realisation of aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic creates an immediate need to deliver existing pre-entry widening participation outreach work remotely. In doing so this means rethinking existing programmes and adapting existing working practices. This paper proposes a three-dimensional framework involving pedagogical, technological and the humanistic elements. It argues that any technological solutions need to consider the inequalities of access to technology and the barriers faced by both practitioners and students. Understanding the changing nature of this work alongside the potential time and investment needed to realise its potential is vital for all staff with strategic and operational responsibility related to access and participation. Whilst some existing pre-entry work may not translate to this new mode, online outreach has the potential to open up new ways to engage and inspire target learners over sustained periods through combined creation and curation of content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines two contrasting creative methods; a drawing task and a LEGO building task used in a study exploring the gap between policy and practice in widening participation to higher education across two different types of university in England. These creative methods were used within 16 semi-structured interviews in seven universities to attempt to explore deeper understandings of everyday policy and what they mean in practice and to make comparisons across types of institutions. This paper examines the role that creative confidence played in the effectiveness of both methods through exploring the successes and failures of each arguing that understanding these barriers can improve the successful use of these methods, especially with adults. When these barriers are overcome, the paper also demonstrates how creative methods encouraged more reflective discussion of everyday issues, increased levels of rapport, and shared engagement in the interview process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of widening participation policy and how it is enacted institutionally is a central concern to Higher Education. It is not simply about the admission of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but also ensuring that these students complete their courses successfully. This work therefore goes far beyond those departments tasked with access and outreach and has implications for staff across all academic and support service areas. The way in which national policy is interpreted and translated into local policy can therefore affect the whole institution. To bring a spotlight on these issues, this paper will focus on a case study of a single elite institution in England. Focusing primarily on selection of students, it will examine how selection measures can in fact reproduce inequalities. It will therefore demonstrate how this programme may not improve access to Higher Education but instead focuses on ensuring that students already on a path to Higher Education choose this institution in preference to others. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]