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The sociocultural experiences of rural students at university

Team Members

Assoc Prof Philip Roberts (Chief Investigator)
Dr Jenny Dean
Ms Natalie Downes
The University of Canberra Widening Participation team
Samantha McMahon (USYD)
Kristy O’Neill (UNE)

This research explores the experiences of rural, regional and remote students in gaining entry to university and their sociocultural experiences while at university. This project aims to begin to understand how a rural upbringing may influence students’ experiences. It examines the disjuncture between rural, regional and remote student knowledges and the knowledges they encounter in gaining entry to, and during their time at university. As such, foundational concepts include the social construction of knowledges, social and cultural capitals, and university knowledge as a form of knowledge of the global metropole. Notions of social and cultural capital, knowledges, and experiences moving from a rural area to a university across different locations, institutional status, and national contexts will be explored.

This project involves focus groups and interviews with students at four universities in NSW and the ACT.

The research aims to help make university transitions simpler for rural, regional and remote students and to enhance their experiences once they begin their studies by minimising obstacles they may face. The objective is to understand how the experiences of students who grew up in rural areas may differ in order to effectively inform higher education equity policy.

For further information on this project, please contact us.