A liberal higher education for all? The massification of higher education and its implications for graduates’ participation in civil society

Abstract

Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. In recent years, questions about the purpose of higher education (HE) have come tothe fore as HE tuition fees have escalatedboth in the UK and internationally. Theextent to which universities provide students with opportunities for developing skillsneeded not only for future employment but participation in civic life has become animportant contemporary issue. Drawing on interviews with 29 graduates from threedistinct types of UK higher education institutions (HEIs) (‘elite,’‘old’and‘new’), thepaper explores the extent to which the pedagogical experiences provided by thesedifferent institutions offer students the sorts of experiences and skills needed for latercivic participation. Our analyses suggestthat the pedagogical arrangements in theseinstitutions are highly differentiated and provide varying opportunities for developingcivic skills. Whilst this potentially has significant implications for the cultivation ofstudents’civic skills and participation in civil society, we argue that civic participa-tion is not so much determined by pedagogic or disciplinary cultures but is located onthe intersection of ranging personal and social circumstances and pedagogicexperiences.