ARTICLE
Problematising social mobility in relation to Higher Education policy
Alex Elwick,
Alex Elwick
Centre for Education Research and Scholarship, Middlesex University, London, UK
Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
Search for more papers by this authorAlex Elwick,
Alex Elwick
Centre for Education Research and Scholarship, Middlesex University, London, UK
Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 09 July 2019
Abstract
enThis paper problematises the concept of social mobility through an exploration of it in relation to Higher Education policy in England. Based upon a content analysis of a number of key policy documents from distinct eras, it identifies definitions and understandings of social mobility within them, exploring how such references have changed over time, and critiquing the differences between the imagined ideals of what policy rhetoric seeks to do and the reality of policy implementation. In particular, it considers the characterisation of social mobility as an individualised concern; it positions aspirations of improving social mobility within the market of Higher Education; and it ultimately asks whether Higher Education can solve the government's social mobility problem.
Resumo
ptEste trabalho problematiza o conceito de mobilidade social através de uma exploração do mesmo em relação à política de ensino superior na Inglaterra. Com base em uma análise de conteúdo de vários documentos-chave de políticas de diferentes épocas, identifica definições e entendimentos de mobilidade social dentro deles; explorar como essas referências mudaram ao longo do tempo; e criticar as diferenças entre os ‘ideais’ imaginados do que a retórica política procura fazer e a realidade da implementação de políticas. Em particular, considera a caracterização da mobilidade social como uma preocupação individualizada; posiciona as aspirações de melhorar a mobilidade social no mercado de ensino superior; e, finalmente, pergunta se o ensino superior pode resolver o ‘problema de mobilidade social’ do governo.
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