Traductores taiwaneses de traducción directa a partir de

The importance of attainment at secondary school in determining future HE choice and options was highlighted by Connor et al (2004) and with this in mind we can begin to comprehend the range of issues that affect BAME groups as they look to access, enter and progress into HE. Strand (2011) discussed BAME students secondary school attainment

noting that member of minoritised groups were less likely to attend grammar schoolsxvii, and more likely to attend ‘deprived schools’ where they were less likely to make progress than those from the least deprived schools (Strand 2011:210). However, Gillborn (2008) argued that the low attainment of Black students in-particular was a result of more than simply attending ‘deprived schools’, that ‘inequalities of achievement’ characterised the secondary school system in the UK, creating an educational system favouring white students thus resulting in better progress by them at secondary school than minoritised groups (Gillborn 2008:44).

What is considered as the ‘poor’ attainment of BAME students at HE was an area that had been discussed and identified within a growing body of literature (Beng Haut See 2011, Mai Simms 2007, NUS 2011, Richardson 2008), with Richardson (2008) in particular, seeming to contend that the ‘problem’ was no longer BAME participation in HE but BAME attainment in HE. Richardson (2008) looked at BAME students who graduated with a ‘good degree’xviii and identified that for art courses this percentage was 35.9% for Black students, the lowest of all ethnic groupsxix. Richardson (2008) and NUS (2011) both highlighted ‘the chances of a Black (African or Caribbean) student being awarded a good degree were a third those of a white student’ (NUS 2011:7). Tackey et al (2011) linked low returns on degree after graduation with low attainment at HE, as well as a number of other factors including; post-92 HEI attendance, studying in home town, lower degree classification and non-white ethnicity, all descriptions of Black African HE patterns and trends. These factors were also looked at in regards to degree subject, which found that art and humanities subjects had the lowest returns on degree. It was also noted by Tackey et al (2011) that ‘Black or Black British people aged 16-24’ had the highest rate of unemployment; this was echoed by NUS (2011) which noted that African and Caribbean students were being disproportionately affected by the rise in graduate unemployment. With all aforementioned factors against them, it could be argued that studying art and design subjects, would only further compound the problem for Black African students looking to gain employment after completing their degrees. This raises the notion that, perhaps, given their challenging circumstances, Black African

students are making conscious decisions not to study art and design subjects, but it also highlights the barriers that plague participation in and experiences of HE art and design for

this group. Little research and literature has given depth of focus to patterns of

participation, access to HE, experiences at HE and choice of HE institution in regards to Black African communities.

Modood (2004) (also Strand 2011 in trying to understand the lower attainment of Black Caribbean students at age 14) explored certain theories by; Bourdieu in regards to cultural capital, Ogbu in regards to voluntary migrants and involuntary migrants carrying different types of capital and Zhou in regards to ethnicity and social capital, in trying to understanding the high participation of South Asian students. Rather than focusing on the negative aspects of minoritised groups and education, Modood (2004) identified positive experiences and what could be gleaned from this. However the analysis and methods embraced by both Modood (2004) and Strand (2011) can be seen to align themselves to a concept described by Gillborn (2008) as looking at and highlighting ‘model minorities’ who are achieving well ‘despite’ the disadvantaging circumstances surrounding them. Gillborn (2008) contends that this type of method of researching BAME groups can lend itself to hierarchy and the

privileging one group at the expense of another, rather it should not be forgotten that different minoritised groups can face different forms of inequalities at different times.

Conclusion to Black African Student participation in and experience of Higher Education: Despite much research highlighting the high representation of Black African students in HE, these students are not responding positively, in ways that will benefit them, to the current HE system. The problem stands that Black African students are going to HE, but the majority are attending poorly rated universities, clustered on certain degree courses, not achieving ‘good’ degrees upon completion of degrees and not gaining employment when they

graduate. It could be argued that social class is the main factor working against students, or rather that it is the students who are entering university under-prepared for academic life. However it can be seen from the literature explored in this section that race and ethnicity does affect participation in and experiences of HE for minoritised students.

In addition to the issues affecting Black African students during their time at HE, it is also noticeable that predominantly, Black African students are coming from secondary school

with low GSCE grades and entering university from the non-traditional route of FE colleges and thus these factors are also hindering their end gains from HE. In order to better

understand the experiences of this group there is a need to consider the education

institutions (secondary and tertiary) and how they are preparing Black African students for HE, as well as the ways in which HEIs are accommodating students upon their arrival and during their time at university. It is necessary to talk to students from Black African

communities and look to understand the situation from their perspective. Similar to other research on South Asian communities (Bagguley &Hussain 2007), a focus on Black Africans would allow the opportunity to focus on specific issues affecting this group. The differences within the Black community in the UK are currently under-researched; therefore, by looking specifically at Black African groups, there will be an opportunity to draw out differences among the group as a whole in order to better understand their educational experiences.

2.5 Black African Student participation in and experience of Higher Education art and