Degrees of discrimination? An exploration of the lived experiences of working-class students in higher education in Wales

McAlister-Wilson, Samantha 2025. Degrees of discrimination? An exploration of the lived experiences of working-class students in higher education in Wales. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This study examined the lived experiences and future aspirations of working-class students and considered the extent to which they felt that class-based bias and discrimination influenced their higher education journeys. Through an exploration of the accounts of these working-class students the study illustrates the ways in which pervasive patterns of inequality still dominate the field of higher education. Legislation and policy shifts, including higher education institutions (HEIs) employing inclusion initiatives such as the widening access agenda, have been positioned as attempts to diversify and support the student body. However, the lack of systemic change within the higher education sector still leads to inequalities for working-class students in access, attainment, and outcomes. Accordingly, the study questions the commitment of HEIs in tackling class inequalities as part of equality, diversity, and inclusion frameworks and initiatives under the Equality Act 2010, and it explores how these inequities manifest in individual student journeys. The sample was recruited from Wales-based HEIs and featured 16 participants who self identified as having working-class backgrounds as well as diversity in other intersections of personal and protected characteristics. Several methods for data generation were used in the study: (i) in-depth semi-structured repeat interviews (ii) timelines (iii) letters to and from imagined future-selves. The research sought to identify whether students recognised the backdrop of class inequalities, including bias and discrimination, in their own experiences. The findings illustrate that higher education journeys are complex and often anxiety-laden for working class students. A lack of affinity and sense of belonging within the higher education field, disconnections from family, and reinventions of the self through changing classed identities were identified in the participant accounts. The research also explored whether participants felt HEIs should be obligated to tackle classed based inequalities and how HEIs might incorporate the experiences and capitals of working-class students, positively positioning working-class identities in ways that are meaningful to these students.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 September 2026
Last Modified:	23 Sep 2026 12:40
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189781

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