Understanding and managing identity: working-class students at the University of Oxford

Abstract

This study aims to add to the literature that explores the experiences of working-class students within elite higher education institutions. It has been undertaken at a time when there is a shift in higher education policy around access and widening participation: from applications and admissions to supporting students throughout the entire lifecycle. Considering the focus of such policy on upward intergenerational social mobility, it explores students’ experiences through the lens of identity, considering Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital. Fifteen undergraduate students, who self-defined as working-class and attended the University of Oxford participated in semi-structured narrative interviews. It was found that working-class students appear to continue to face disadvantage during their time at university. Participants often encountered academic and social situations which served to reinforce ideas of a typical Oxford student, which they perceived as not being inclusive of their working-class identity.