scholarly journals Class and Narrative Accrual: Personal Troubles and Public Issues in Five Vignettes

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
Matthew Spokes

This paper develops Bruner’s (1991) notion of narrative accrual, in conjunction with ‘lifestories’ and ‘event-stories’, to focus on the accumulation of experiences as a contributor to working-class identity. Situated between Mills’ (1959) personal troubles and public issues, and framed by Nouri and Helterline’s (1998) argument that identity is framed by social interaction with signification systems and other people, the author’s own experiences as an early-career academic in two different British Universities – one more research-oriented with a predominantly middle-class student body, the other more teaching-oriented with a more class diverse student body – are utilized to forward ‘personal narrative accrual’ as a way of both conceptualizing and unpacking class associations, reflecting on Warnock’s (2016) fivefold typology of alienation, cultural capital, stereotyping/microaggression, survivor guilt/impostor syndrome and middle class networking. Ultimately, this paper considers the interrelated problems of working-class identity, career development, and ‘playing the game’ through autobiographical vignettes, and suggests the potential application of personal narrative accrual in decreasing feelings of isolation in academia by working-class academics.

Sociology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003803852098222
Author(s):  
Sam Friedman ◽  
Dave O’Brien ◽  
Ian McDonald

Why do people from privileged class backgrounds often misidentify their origins as working class? We address this question by drawing on 175 interviews with those working in professional and managerial occupations, 36 of whom are from middle-class backgrounds but identify as working class or long-range upwardly mobile. Our findings indicate that this misidentification is rooted in a self-understanding built on particular ‘origin stories’ which act to downplay interviewees’ own, fairly privileged, upbringings and instead forge affinities to working-class extended family histories. Yet while this ‘intergenerational self’ partially reflects the lived experience of multigenerational upward mobility, it also acts – we argue – as a means of deflecting and obscuring class privilege. By positioning themselves as ascending from humble origins, we show how these interviewees are able to tell an upward story of career success ‘against the odds’ that simultaneously casts their progression as unusually meritocratically legitimate while erasing the structural privileges that have shaped key moments in their trajectory.


Author(s):  
Ronald Morgan ◽  
Kitty M. Fortner ◽  
Kimmie Tang

There continue to be many issues women of color face as they pursue both an advanced education and leadership positions in education. There appears to be an increase in the number of women of color seeking advanced degrees and pursuing educational leadership positions, but the numbers are still small overall. While some educational stakeholders have worked to increase the number of women of color in educational leadership positions, it has been minimal. A central question that is often asked is, How does a school ensure that the educational leaders are capable of moving forward, with meeting the needs of a diverse student body? Many advocates say promoting a more diverse group of educational leaders, especially women of color, will only help increase student success. Increasing the number of women of color in educational leadership positions can help have a positive effect on the issues of racism, poverty, aggression, oppression, hostility, or even privilege.


Author(s):  
Amy Campbell ◽  
Billie Jo Rodriguez ◽  
Kristen Schrauben

Schools are charged with the challenge of addressing the complex social and academic needs of an increasingly diverse student body, while simultaneously facing reductions in funding, resources, and personnel. Schools are in need of effective and efficient behavioral support strategies to meet the needs of a wide range of students. Although Tier I strategies are essential to prevent many challenging behaviors, some students may require additional intervention and support. Tier II interventions are one mechanism for providing the additional support within an MTSS framework. This chapter defines the critical features of Tier II interventions and provides guidelines for implementing a range of interventions. The chapter also addresses issues related to the transition from Tier I to Tier II.


Author(s):  
Debbie Holley ◽  
Martin Oliver

Higher Education Institutions have worked to make equality of access to electronic curriculum resources the ‘status quo’. However, there is evidence that simply providing e-learning – no matter how well intentioned – is insufficient to address the problems that students are experiencing. A three stage model has been developed through analysis of students’ learning experiences at an inner-city, post-1992 University to illustrate how students have to negotiate their engagement with Higher Education. The model provides a way of mapping aspects of course design to different portraits of students, enabling students to be considered as high, medium and low risk in terms of retention. The value of this model for design and analysis of courses is located within the debate of how inclusive business schools curricula are for a diverse student body.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Pearce ◽  
Barry Down ◽  
Elizabeth Moore

Through the use of narrative portraits this paper discusses social class and identity, as working-class university students perceive them. With government policy encouraging wider participation rates from under-represented groups of people within the university sector, working-class students have found themselves to be the objects of much research. Working-class students are, for the most part, studied as though they are docile bodies, unable to participate in the construction of who they are, and working-class accounts of university experiences are quite often compared to the middle-class norms. This paper explores how working-class students see themselves within the university culture. Working-class students' voices and stories form the focus of this paper, in which the language of ‘disadvantage’ is dealt with and the ideologies of class identity explored.


NASPA Journal ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Banning ◽  
Linda M. Ahuna ◽  
Blanche M. Hughes

The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive picture of the student affairs scholarship published in the NASPA Journal from 1967 to 1996 that focused on racial and ethnic topics. A thematic analysis suggested the published articles moved from themes of “concern and assessment” to themes of ethnic and racial minority students as multi-dimensional rather than a population in need of “adjustment,” and “campus environmental change” as a way to support a more racially and ethnically diverse student body. While the scholarship addressed racial and ethnic topics, the writings most often focused on concerns related to the Black student. Few articles related to Native American, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian groups. Encouragement by all levels of the profession, including associations, training programs, and journals for additional scholarship in these underrepresented areas is recommended, including using the historical strategy of the “special issues” format.


Author(s):  
Emmanuel Mogaji

Purpose Clearing system in UK enable students without a University place after exam results have been announced to find suitable vacancies, as it is important for universities to fill their vacancies as any shortfall loses them a lot of money, this research examines marketing strategies adopted by UK Universities on their websites during clearing. Design/methodology/approach 134 universities websites was content analysed few weeks before clearing and the day before clearing starts. The categories for the analysis included membership of the three main university groups as well as clearing advertisement strategies and advertising theme presented. Findings 110 universities indicated interest in admitting students through clearing on their websites including 18 of the 24 Russell University Group although more emphasis was laid on adjustment to attract students with better grades. The majority of websites were redesigned to reflect clearing with slides highlighting student satisfaction, guaranteed accommodation and graduate employability. Research limitations/implications This exploratory study examines advertising strategies adopted during clearing, it would be interesting to also seek a broader view on advertisement strategies adopted by the Universities throughout the year and extended to a comparative study of higher education marketing across different countries. Originality/value As websites have become an integral part of the marketing tools of universities, they should present information relevant to different stakeholders creatively, along with images reflecting their diverse student body and extra-curricular environment. This study will be relevant to university staff dealing with marketing, recruitment and information technology, advertising practitioners and academic researchers.


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