'It Has Been an Uphill Battle from the Get Go': The Experiences of Single Parents Studying at University in the UK during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Autor/in	Trotter, Lucy
Titel	'It Has Been an Uphill Battle from the Get Go': The Experiences of Single Parents Studying at University in the UK during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Quelle	In: Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47 (2023) 8, S.1042-1053 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0309-877X
DOI	10.1080/0309877X.2023.2212240
Schlagwörter	Student Experience; One Parent Family; College Students; Foreign Countries; COVID-19; Pandemics; Student Attitudes; Data Collection; Student Personnel Services; Student Unions; Social Support Groups; College Environment; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Studienerfahrung; Single parent family; Ein-Eltern-Familie; Collegestudent; Ausland; Schülerverhalten; Data capture; Datensammlung; Studentenvereinigung; Studentenvertretung; Social support; Soziale Unterstützung; Hochschulumwelt; Großbritannien
Abstract	Single-parent families represent a significant proportion of all UK families, but literature suggests that they face challenges in accessing, participating in, and completing Higher Education (HE). This article draws on data obtained from three months of mixed-methods research in 2021 with single-parent students to explore the meanings of being a single parent studying at university in the UK in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so it considers the personal demands that the pandemic placed on single-parent students, and the avenues of support available for single-parent students in the context of the UK HE system. These issues are then analysed within a theoretical framework to argue that single-parent students occupied a simultaneous position of agency and mastery in the context of HE. The article concludes with three key recommendations for change: (1) Universities should collect data on student parents and use this data to enable tailored support via student support services; (2) Universities should work with Student Unions to ensure parent-friendly freshers activities and ongoing social/support groups for student parents; and (3) Universities should make concrete changes to campus space, including the introduction of accessible, flexible, discounted childcare on campus, parent and baby rooms, and baby-changing facilities. These three changes would significantly improve the experiences of single-parent students studying at university in the UK. [This paper was presented at Aberystwyth University School of Education Research Seminar in November, 2021.] (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01