Participation in higher education as social inclusion: An occupational perspective
Author(s)
Whiteford, Gail
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2017
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This article discusses access to, and participation in, higher education as a form of social inclusion. Globally, what is known as the Widening Participation Agenda has focussed attention and effort towards initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of disadvantaged groups in higher education. Such participation, it is argued, enhances social inclusion through economic, social and civil means. From an occupational perspective, participation in higher education may be understood as enabling a transformation of identity and socio-economic status through the transitional occupation of student, to become a worker and ...
View more >This article discusses access to, and participation in, higher education as a form of social inclusion. Globally, what is known as the Widening Participation Agenda has focussed attention and effort towards initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of disadvantaged groups in higher education. Such participation, it is argued, enhances social inclusion through economic, social and civil means. From an occupational perspective, participation in higher education may be understood as enabling a transformation of identity and socio-economic status through the transitional occupation of student, to become a worker and professional. To highlight what can be achieved within a national policy framework and with dedicated resources, a case study of Australia’s Bridges to Higher Education is presented. The article concludes with considerations of why this is an area deserving of greater attention by occupational science scholars in the future.
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View more >This article discusses access to, and participation in, higher education as a form of social inclusion. Globally, what is known as the Widening Participation Agenda has focussed attention and effort towards initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of disadvantaged groups in higher education. Such participation, it is argued, enhances social inclusion through economic, social and civil means. From an occupational perspective, participation in higher education may be understood as enabling a transformation of identity and socio-economic status through the transitional occupation of student, to become a worker and professional. To highlight what can be achieved within a national policy framework and with dedicated resources, a case study of Australia’s Bridges to Higher Education is presented. The article concludes with considerations of why this is an area deserving of greater attention by occupational science scholars in the future.
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Journal Title
Journal of Occupational Science
Volume
24
Issue
1
Subject
Clinical sciences
Clinical sciences not elsewhere classified