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    Rights statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Research in Post-Compulsory Education on 05/11/2020, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939

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‘This is the plan’: mature women’s vocational education choices and decisions about Honours degrees

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‘This is the plan’: mature women’s vocational education choices and decisions about Honours degrees. / Welsh, Sally.
In: Research in Post-Compulsory Education, Vol. 25, No. 3, 1, 01.12.2020, p. 259-278.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

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Welsh S. ‘This is the plan’: mature women’s vocational education choices and decisions about Honours degrees. Research in Post-Compulsory Education. 2020 Dec 1;25(3):259-278. 1. Epub 2020 Nov 5. doi: 10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939

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Welsh, Sally. / ‘This is the plan’ : mature women’s vocational education choices and decisions about Honours degrees. In: Research in Post-Compulsory Education. 2020 ; Vol. 25, No. 3. pp. 259-278.

Bibtex

@article{00834999c37e482badd03064fa247526,
title = "{\textquoteleft}This is the plan{\textquoteright}: mature women{\textquoteright}s vocational education choices and decisions about Honours degrees",
abstract = "This paper discusses a piece of qualitative research that explored the narratives of a group of mature women when they discussed influences on their post-16 educational decisions. This encompasses their initial vocational education and training (VET) and their choice to study higher education (HE) programmes in England. The research draws on Nancy Fraser{\textquoteright}s dual-perspectival notion of social justice to analyse how gender may have affected their educational choices. The research also explores some of the tension experienced in feminist research practice. Data collection was undertaken primarily via semi-structured individual interviews with six female Foundation degree graduates who decided to study an Honours top-up degree. In addition, a research journal was also used to explore a feminist standpoint approach and the research relationships. A thematic analysis of the data found that gender plays a crucial and complicated role in vocational choices. The findings also highlight that although VET is not a second choice, the low pay and misrecognition of {\textquoteleft}pink collar{\textquoteright} work leads the women into HE study. HE is used to gain credibility and employment security. The research concludes that top-up degrees offer the women individualised solutions to the low status and economic precarity vocational education provides. ",
keywords = "mature women, gender, vocational education and training, foundation degree, top-up degree, Fraser",
author = "Sally Welsh",
note = "This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Research in Post-Compulsory Education on 05/11/2020, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939",
year = "2020",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939",
language = "English",
volume = "25",
pages = "259--278",
journal = "Research in Post-Compulsory Education",
issn = "1359-6748",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - ‘This is the plan’

T2 - mature women’s vocational education choices and decisions about Honours degrees

AU - Welsh, Sally

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Research in Post-Compulsory Education on 05/11/2020, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939

PY - 2020/12/1

Y1 - 2020/12/1

N2 - This paper discusses a piece of qualitative research that explored the narratives of a group of mature women when they discussed influences on their post-16 educational decisions. This encompasses their initial vocational education and training (VET) and their choice to study higher education (HE) programmes in England. The research draws on Nancy Fraser’s dual-perspectival notion of social justice to analyse how gender may have affected their educational choices. The research also explores some of the tension experienced in feminist research practice. Data collection was undertaken primarily via semi-structured individual interviews with six female Foundation degree graduates who decided to study an Honours top-up degree. In addition, a research journal was also used to explore a feminist standpoint approach and the research relationships. A thematic analysis of the data found that gender plays a crucial and complicated role in vocational choices. The findings also highlight that although VET is not a second choice, the low pay and misrecognition of ‘pink collar’ work leads the women into HE study. HE is used to gain credibility and employment security. The research concludes that top-up degrees offer the women individualised solutions to the low status and economic precarity vocational education provides.

AB - This paper discusses a piece of qualitative research that explored the narratives of a group of mature women when they discussed influences on their post-16 educational decisions. This encompasses their initial vocational education and training (VET) and their choice to study higher education (HE) programmes in England. The research draws on Nancy Fraser’s dual-perspectival notion of social justice to analyse how gender may have affected their educational choices. The research also explores some of the tension experienced in feminist research practice. Data collection was undertaken primarily via semi-structured individual interviews with six female Foundation degree graduates who decided to study an Honours top-up degree. In addition, a research journal was also used to explore a feminist standpoint approach and the research relationships. A thematic analysis of the data found that gender plays a crucial and complicated role in vocational choices. The findings also highlight that although VET is not a second choice, the low pay and misrecognition of ‘pink collar’ work leads the women into HE study. HE is used to gain credibility and employment security. The research concludes that top-up degrees offer the women individualised solutions to the low status and economic precarity vocational education provides.

KW - mature women

KW - gender

KW - vocational education and training

KW - foundation degree

KW - top-up degree

KW - Fraser

U2 - 10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939

DO - 10.1080/13596748.2020.1802939

M3 - Journal article

VL - 25

SP - 259

EP - 278

JO - Research in Post-Compulsory Education

JF - Research in Post-Compulsory Education

SN - 1359-6748

IS - 3

M1 - 1

ER -