The Lived Experience of Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds in Higher Education

Abstract

This study into the lived experience of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education in Scotland seeks to address the issue of class and widening access to higher education. This research looks into the experiences of Scottish students in higher education from areas of high disadvantaged according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD 2014). In particular, the research looks to identify the range of class-based issues that arise when accessing the 'social space' that is Higher Education when this space is viewed as a period of 'secondary socialisation.'