Examining the epistemology of impact and success of educational interventions using a reflective case study of university bursaries

Harrison, Neil; McCaig, Colin

Abstract

This paper engages with the continuing emphasis given to evidence-based policy and ‘what works’ approaches in educational research, highlighting some of the continuing epistemological challenges from a post-positivist perspective. To illustrate these, it uses the case of bursaries awarded by universities to improve outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds as an example of an education intervention designed to address structural inequality. The paper then discusses critical reflections arising from a project commissioned by the Office for Fair Access in England which aimed to enable universities to evaluate the impact of the bursaries that they award. These reflections provide a lens to explore the limitations of experimental and quasi-experimental designs in complex social fields. The paper concludes that we lack a strong understanding of the relationship between financial and educational disadvantage prior to and during higher education, and this undermines efforts to ‘prove’ that certain interventions will ‘level the playing field’.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 10, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jan 24, 2017
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Dec 19, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 24, 2019
• Journal: British Educational Research Journal
• Print ISSN: 0141-1926
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-3518
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 290-309
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3263
• Keywords: evidence; success; epistemology; what works; social justice
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/888661
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/berj.3263
• Contract Date: Jan 3, 2017