This research investigates the role of class within higher education. Through an online survey, the project has collected data about the experiences of working-class staff and students at BCU. The aim is to inform change related to improving (1) the student experience and graduate outcomes, and (2) the working environment for staff.
Researchers:
Overview:
This research addresses a gap in the current literature regarding social class in higher education by: (1) examining the experiences of working-class staff in higher education (including ECRs who are also doctoral researchers or recent graduates); and (2) exploring intersectional working-class experiences of staff and students, including working class people of colour, working-class men, and working-class LGBTQ+ people in academia.
Through an online survey, the study identifies the experiences of working-class staff and students at BCU, with a particular focus on intersectional characteristics. The research aims to use its findings to make improvements to: (1) the student experience and graduate outcomes; and (2) the working environment for staff. To achieve this, the survey opened to staff and students at BCU on 9th October 2023 and closed on 8thDecember 2023, receiving 220 responses.
The data is currently being analysed and the findings will be shared with staff and students at BCU in 2025.
Research Event:
M4C Dialogue Day
Working-Class Academics and Intersectionality: Improving ‘Routes Out’ Support for Doctoral Researchers
On 12th September 2024, Birmingham City University hosted its first M4C Dialogue Day. Led by Dr Alice Storey (Birmingham City University) and Dr Tara Lai Quinlan (University of Birmingham), there was a specific focus on the experiences and needs of doctoral researchers from working-class backgrounds, as well as groups with a range of intersectional protected EDI characteristics.
Through four bespoke sessions, the Dialogue Day placed an intersectional lens on ‘routes out’ of PhD study, while also practically supporting current doctoral researchers across all disciplines. These sessions included:
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Dr Alice Storey (BCU): Working-Class Academics
Dr Storey shared the initial findings from her Working-Class Academics study (see overview above). The participants discussed the thematic findings, having conversations about how their own experiences related to the data, bringing fresh perspectives and suggesting new ideas for future research. The group affirmed a key sub-theme of the data, that a support network for working-class staff and students at BCU is needed.
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Dr Tara Lai Quinlan (UoB): Tracking Young People’s Lived Experiences
Dr Quinlan led a group discussion of the preliminary findings from her project that analyses the University of Birmingham’s annual survey of law students engaged in criminal justice and criminal law modules. The research examines the opinions about and experiences of the criminal justice system from students with intersectional backgrounds. The group reflected on the data and findings, sharing their lived experiences in a safe space.
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Anne-Louise Crichlow, Yvonne Leslie, and Jacqueline Taylor (BCU): That’s Me! Revisioning Minoritised PGR Pathways
Led by PGR, Anne-Louise Crichlow, the That’s Me! team delivered an interactive session that invited the group to explore their own experiences and aspirations relating to routes out of the PhD. The session supported the group to consider the decisions that drive them in pursuing their own pathways, as well as the idea of post-PGR imaginaries that include the inside, outside and peripheries of academia.
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Hannah Kibirige (Social Justice Collective): Support and Coping Strategies
Hannah Kibirige, the Head of Inclusion and Equity with the Social Justice Collective, created an interactive session focused upon the challenges students face during their doctoral studies. The group reflected on these challenges they have faced as intersectional researchers, as well as identifying the coping mechanisms they have already developed. The session concluded with an exploration of the support they might need to cope with difficult situations and outcomes in their professional careers, providing tangible ideas and links to resources.
Feedback from the doctoral researchers that attended the Dialogue Day included:
“It felt really empowering to be able to share experiences and barriers I’ve faced with others in a safe space”
“Really hit home how important intersectional experience is.”
“This is the first event I’ve been to where being working class has been recognised and forefronted. Very inspiring… Really enjoyed the speakers’ contribution[s]. I came home and told my husband I had found my people.”
BCU Working-Class Network
The project’s data, and attendees at the Dialogue Day, asked for a support network to be created for working-class staff and students. To achieve this, the BCU Working-Class Network has been created by Dr Alice Storey. This will be a supportive and collegiate space that allows for discussions and mentoring to take place, as well as opportunities to share experiences of navigating academic studies and the workplace as a working-class person.