New quality study of university degrees

Dr Andrea Abbas from the Social Futures Institute has successfully obtained a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council for a project to examine quality and equality in university first degrees.

Entitled The Pedagogic Quality and Equality in University First Degrees she will work jointly with colleagues at Nottingham and Lancaster Universities. They will explore the theory that an increase in the number of students attending universities is accompanied by persistent inequities: poorer students go to less prestigious and well-resourced universities and, according to most league tables, receive a lower quality education.

Develop definitions of quality The project will question the assumption that education in higher status universities is necessarily better; and, will develop definitions of ‘quality’ which are fair and allow that a university education is for personal growth and the public good, as well as for economic returns.

Also the project will evaluate the comparative quality of teaching and learning in first degrees in sociology and allied subjects in four distinct universities by drawing on the work of the sociologist Basil Bernstein who argues that formal education disadvantages the already disadvantaged.

Dr Abbas explains: ‘By way of interviews with lecturers and students, case studies, a survey, video of teaching, evaluation of student work and analysis of documents, we will capture the interactions between students' lives and backgrounds; the degrees that they study; and the conditions in their universities.

It is hoped that a better understanding of what should count as good and just university education in different institutional settings will both generate debate and practical applications.’

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