Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

University as vocational education: working‐class students’ expectations for university

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 30; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01425690802700164

1465-3346

Wolfgang Lehmann,

Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

Abstract Labor market conditions, a pervasive public discourse about the benefits of higher education, and parental hopes push many young working‐class people into university. The institutional culture and demands of university, however, often remain elusive and fraught with uncertainty. In this paper, I draw on qualitative interviews with first‐generation, working‐class students at a Canadian university to analyze the ways in which these students discuss their reasons to attend and their expectations for university, and the implications of their attitudes for their future success at university. Analysis of the interview data shows how the relatively high and risky investment of working‐class youth in education leads to strong utilitarian and vocational orientations toward university. Although a narrow focus on the career potential of university is generally perceived as problematic, I argue that it may also help working‐class students in their transition to university. Nonetheless, a critical educational process is necessary that not only helps working‐class students achieve their educational and occupational goals, but also understand their unique status in a social institution that they entered as outsiders. Keywords: higher educationworking‐class studentshabituseducational dispositionsknowledge economyinstrumentalism Acknowledgements The author wishes to acknowledge the financial support for this research through a Standard Research Grant by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The author is also grateful for the research assistance provided by Darlene Balandin, Monica Hwang, Michelle Miller, Susan Sverdrup‐Phillips, Joanna Turton, and Ayesha Williams. Finally, the author is most indebted to the 75 young men and women who agreed to participate in this study. Many thanks also to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism.