A Critical Exploration of Inclusion Policies of Elite UK Universities

Autor/inn/en	Koutsouris, George; Stentiford, Lauren; Norwich, Brahm
Titel	A Critical Exploration of Inclusion Policies of Elite UK Universities
Quelle	In: British Educational Research Journal, 48 (2022) 5, S.878-895 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Koutsouris, George) ORCID (Norwich, Brahm)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0141-1926
DOI	10.1002/berj.3799
Schlagwörter	Inclusion; Educational Policy; Selective Admission; Discourse Analysis; Universities; Foreign Countries; Policy Analysis; Reputation; Definitions; International Education; Foreign Students; Student Recruitment; Human Resources; Compliance (Legal); Educational Quality; Institutional Characteristics; Higher Education; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Inklusion; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Bildungsselektion; Diskursanalyse; University; Universität; Ausland; Politikfeldanalyse; Begriffsbestimmung; Internationale Erziehung; Humankapital; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Großbritannien
Abstract	Inclusion is seen as an ethical obligation, grounded in notions of equity and social justice for all groups and at all stages of education, with higher education (HE) representing a distinctive space where the inclusion agenda is becoming more influential. However, inclusion is also increasingly recognised as an ambiguous concept that might have lost its critical edge and is in many cases reduced to 'chatter'. To explore inclusion in this context, we analysed 48 policy documents from the websites of the 24 Russell Group Universities (the 'elite', research-intensive, UK universities) using a critical discourse analysis approach. We found that inclusion was rarely defined clearly, and that tensions, complexity and pedagogical implications of inclusion were not discussed. Inclusion was also related to excellence and ideas about a 'global university' that are central to a university's reputation and ability to attract international students and staff. We see three ways in which these findings are significant: the way inclusion was approached in the policy documents could largely be described as managerial/legalistic, seen as the responsibility of human resources; inclusion was perceived as an act of legal compliance that was also expected to influence everyday relationships -- but without an explanation of how this could happen; and inclusion was discussed together with broader debates within HE, e.g. meritocracy, but without a critical reflection on what this means. We, thus, argue that universities should resist treating inclusion as a quality and performance index and recognise that inclusion is linked to the very purposes of HE. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01