Students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Lessons for institutional

leaders

Effective teaching and support for students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Resources for Australian higher education.

www.lowses.edu.au

Overview

• The study• The new conception•What helps LSES students: Lessons

for leaders

The study

• Funding body•Partners• Team•Methodology

Funding body, partners and team

• Professor Marcia Devlin• Professor Sally Kift• Professor Karen Nelson• Ms Liz Smith• Dr Jade McKay

Methodology

• Literature review• Interviews with 89 successful students from

low socioeconomic backgrounds (3 universities)

• Interviews with 26 staff (6 universities)• A national environmental scan of effective

practice

New conceptual framework: ‘Bridging socio-cultural incongruity’

• Rejecting deficit conceptions that either:– Students are ‘the problem’ and/or– Institutions are the problem.

Instead, conceiving the facilitation of student success as a ‘joint venture’ toward bridging socio-cultural incongruity.

New conceptual framework: ‘Bridging socio-cultural incongruity’

• The incongruity is between:– The social and cultural capital of the LSES studentand– The social and cultural capital of the institutions

in which they study.

Neither is in deficit, they are simply incongruent, at least initially.

What helps LSES students: Teaching

1. Teachers know and respect students.2. Teachers offer flexibility, variety and

choice.3. Expectations are clearly communicated in

plain language.4. Learning is scaffolded.5. Teachers are available and approachable

to assist student learning.

What helps LSES students: Leadership

1. Inclusive curriculum and assessment design.

2. Engagement with and support from others.3. Encouragement and normalisation of

‘help-seeking’.4. Active minimisation of financial challenges.5. Resourcing and supporting teachers of

LSES students.

www.lowses.edu.au

Effective teaching and support for students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Resources for Australian higher education.

www.lowses.edu.au