Capability, belonging and equity in higher education: developing inclusive approaches

The assumption underpinning many national widening participation agendas is that all students with the potential to benefit from higher education should have fair access to higher education regardless of social background. There is an implication that potential to benefit from higher education is about natural talent, ability and/or intelligence and is detached from social, cultural and educational dis/advantage and inequalities. In Australian higher education, the 'traditional' pathway to university is based on school performance as measured through the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and non-traditional pathways include enabling (access) programs, direct entry applications (such as specific entry exams) and TAFE programs (further education). Research suggests however that a sense of capability is not experienced by the majority of students who commence study in higher education.

This mixed methods project draws on extant data from a 2014 pilot study examining students' beliefs about ability and intelligence and how this is related to levels of confidence. The aim was to: explore and identify the different meanings attached to 'capability' in particular contexts (such as subject or course); consider the ways these meanings shape the experiences, practices and sense of belonging of students from non-traditional backgrounds; and help improve the educational opportunities and completion rates for university students from non-traditional (non-ATAR) and other educationally disadvantaged backgrounds through contributing a more nuanced understanding of capability.

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