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Drawing upon Bourdieu's theories of social and cultural capital, a number of studies of the higher education environment have indicated that students who are first-in-family to come to university may lack the necessary capitals to enact success. To address this issue, university transition strategies often have the primary objective of 'filling students up' with legitimate forms of cultural capital required by the institution. However, this article argues that such an approach is fundamentally flawed, as students can be either framed as deficit or replete in capitals depending on how their particular background and capabilities are perceived. Drawing on interviews conducted with first-in-family students, this article explores how one cohort considered their movement into university and how they enacted success within this environment. Utilising Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth framework, this article discusses how these individuals drew upon existing and established capital reserves in this transition to higher education.

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This literature review provides the context for the NCSEHE Fellowship entitled 'Mind the Gap!': exploring the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 136.519]. This one-year study will explore how learners intersected by a range of equity categories enter the employment market and how individuals experience this entry qualitatively. Adopting a mixed-method approach, the study will draw on statistics related to post-graduation outcomes for the general student population, comparing these to those cohorts from key equity groups. This literature review considers both the available scholarly literature and existing statistics to situate this study both within Australia and internationally. The review has been divided into five sections. It commences with a background to the fellowship project. Section 2 provides an analysis of the available statistics on graduate employment in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Section 3 explores the research and scholarly writing on contemporary and global issues noted in the graduate landscape. The focus then narrows in Section 4 to specifically apply an 'equity' lens to an understanding of this field, drawing upon sociological literature and foci. The review concludes with an overview of the key areas of interest that have been identified and recommendations for future research and scholarly attention.

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Globally, first-in-family learners represent a significant proportion of the university student population, yet these high rates of participation are not necessarily matched by equally high success rates. Instead, internationally the research on this group indicates that these learners are at greater risk of departure from university when compared to their second and third generation peers, often as a result of limited exposure to academic culture and expectations. This article provides an overview of current research on first-in-family learners and also, offers some recommendations for supporting and engaging with this cohort within university settings.

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This second edition brings further research and analysis to the broad field of first-in-family (FiF) student experience. In the six years since the first edition, the university sector has continued to attract students from a diversity of backgrounds, but access and participation remain differentiated across student cohorts. This disparity in academic outcomes is not restricted to certain settings. Globally, variations in the rates of access to education and progression are pronounced across student cohorts. For those learners who are the first in their family or community to come to university, these disparities are particularly noted, with distinctions in educational outcomes recorded internationally.

This book explores both the experiences of FiF students and those of their family members and 'significant' others. We know that parental educational background has substantial impact on the educational levels of family and dependents. However, what is unclear is how attending a university as a first-in-family student not only impacts upon the individual, but also family and community. How does transitioning into this environment and enacting a student role or building a student identity translate into the private domain of the household? With the continuing requirements for higher education (HE) institutions to increase the participation of students from a diversity of backgrounds and educational biographies, this is a gap in understanding that needs to be addressed.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The contents are as follows: Part one, 'Surveying the first-in-family student terrain', contains the following chapters: Setting the scene; The lack of what ...?: first-in-family learners and their university experience; Disrupting the deficit: beyond notions of lack for first-in-family students; What am I waiting for? Part two, 'Narrating the first-in-family experience', contains: Trailblazing: motivations and relationship impacts for first-in-family enabling students; The online student experience: new challenges for engagement and support; 'So how was big school today?': family perceptions of HE participation; Parents managing university and family life; Motivated men: first-in-family male students; 'Hey you! you've got this and you ARE smart': motivated women drawing on 'Sisu' to persist and succeed at university; Concluding thoughts. Show less

Much has been written about the growing influence and reach of online learning in higher education, including the opportunities that this can offer for improving student equity and widening participation. One area of student equity in which online learning has an influence is that of gender equity, particularly for mature-age students. This article explicitly explores how the dual identities of student and family carer are managed by women studying online. It highlights the largely invisible yet emotional and time-consuming additional load that many women are carrying and discusses the importance of this being recognised and accommodated at an institutional level. Online study has the potential to facilitate a more manageable and achievable study path for students with caring responsibilities, most of whom are women. Institutional understanding and awareness are required for this potential to be truly realised, thereby reducing educational inequity.

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This article explores how one cohort of first-in-family students narrated their movement into and through university, proposed as a form of boundary crossing. These metaphors emerged from the stories that students told about their persistence, with references ranging from institutional or organisational boundaries through to those imposed by self and others. Applying the sensitizing lens of boundary crossing, an analysis is provided of how learners navigated their transition into university and the types of persistence behaviours adopted. The focus is on those who traversed these boundaries, considering the nature of incursions and the ways these were negotiated within students’ everyday lives. This cohort all self-identified as being the first in their family to attend university but also acknowledged a variety of additional social, cultural and economic factors that impacted upon their educational journey.

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This chapter explores student populations in terms of their diversity and special needs and is designed to provide [the reader] with a broad grounding in this topic. Beginning with an overview of commonly used terminology in this field, the chapter moves to the learners themselves, providing key statistics and insights into various [vocational education and training] VET equity cohorts, including an understanding of how learners are 'officially' categorised and defined. The focus then changes to an analysis of key Commonwealth legislation and related policies in the area and an example of a State response. The final sections of the chapter are aimed at providing practical insight into how [the reader], as a VET practitioner, might accommodate and support different learners.

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The [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic has both widened and exacerbated student equity issues in Australian higher education, just as it has increased economic and social disadvantage in the general population. This article identifies the immediate impacts of the pandemic on existing equity structures, mapping potential areas for research analysis and policy responses. Given the pervasive nature of COVID-19, it is proposed that a whole-of-system approach be used, and in addition to focusing on existing student equity categorisations, a holistic approach to understanding disadvantage over the university student life cycle is undertaken to ensure the response to this health crisis is both targeted and timely. The article identifies emerging repercussions of the pandemic that will drive long-term structural changes in Australian higher education, as well as the community and labour market. Based on these observations, the key challenges facing the student equity sector are identified and possible responses provided.

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Increasing competitiveness in the graduate employment field combined with growing numbers of degree bearing applicants means that gaining employment after completing university studies can be a lengthy and complex undertaking. This is even more the case for students who do not have ready access to the social or family capital often required for successful employment, such as those who are first in their family to attend university. This article reveals hidden tensions within the post-graduation employment market when this is negotiated without the benefit of necessary capitals required to do so successfully. Drawing on interview and survey data from recent first in family graduates and alumni in Australia, the ways in which they negotiated employment was explored. This exposed an alternative perspective on graduate employment that highlights the somewhat 'hidden' inequities and unfair expectations within a hyper competitive job market.

Participants' written and spoken reflections reveal the ways in which the graduate landscape is far from being an 'even playing field'. The perspectives presented contribute to broader understanding about the difficulties of moving towards desired employment goals or social mobility particularly when intangible relational and personal capitals are needed. Such insights are needed to inform both policy and practice globally, particularly as nation states come to terms with the repercussions of the current health crisis.

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