Deterred by debt? Young people, schools and the escalating cost of UK higher education

Evans, Ceryn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0019-1017 and Donnelly, Michael 2018. Deterred by debt? Young people, schools and the escalating cost of UK higher education. Journal of Youth Studies 21 (9) , pp. 1267-1282. 10.1080/13676261.2018.1461815

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Abstract

Popular commentaries lament that reforms to the financing of Higher Education (HE) in the UK will operate as a significant deterrent to HE participation amongst students from less advantaged backgrounds. This view of debt as a deterrent is powerful and exists not only at a societal level, but also, as we show, is present in schools. Our data reveal, however, that these ‘debt commentaries’ play out very differently across schools according to the nature of their catchment and the sorts of views staff hold about pupils in relation to their fear of debt. Furthermore, students’ views on debt largely contradict these popular ‘debt-as-deterrent’ narratives and instead are often characterised by acceptance, ambivalence and at times positive orientations towards the prospect of debt. These findings vividly illuminate both the regional and institutional specificity of staff and student decision making in relation to ‘debt’, hence they have substantial implications for HE funding policy specifically and debates about widening participation in HE more generally, where ensuring greater equity in the scope of choices young people have when it comes to choosing a university is a pressing concern.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
ISSN:	1367-6261
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 May 2018
Date of Acceptance:	28 March 2018
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 19:16
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/111230

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