1. Student experiences of widening participation in initial teacher education: a Bourdieusian analysis Eileen Kelly-Blakeney St. Angela’s College, Sligo, Ireland Education in the Globalised Age University of Sheffield 14 February 2014

2. Applying Bourdieu’s three-level approach to studying the field 1. Analyse the position of the field vis-à-vis the field of power 2. Map out the objective structure of the relations between the positions occupied by the agents or institutions 3. Analyse the habitus of agents (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992; p. 104-105) What is the structure and position of ITE in HE in Ireland? How is WP and increasing access to ITE enacted in policy and practice? How do non-standard entry-route students experience undergraduate concurrent ITE?

3. Level 1: ITE: a field within fields within fields… The Hunt Report (DES, 2011) The Landscape Document (HEA, 2012) Report on Reconfiguration, Collaboration & Governance (HEA, 2013) Criteria & Guidelines for programme providers (TC, 2011) Literacy & Numeracy for Learning & Life (DES, 2011) Report on Review of the Structure of ITE provision in Ireland (DES, 2012)

4. Level 2: WP in ITE: policy and practice Accessing data from HEIs on entrants to ITE from Access courses – difficult Data obtained from personal communication with HEA and Central Applications Office (CAO) Fewer Mature entrants to ITE (10.6%) than average across all programmes (14.5%) Steady increase in HEAR applicants since 2010 Now more HEAR – route students in ITE (7.9%) than average across all programmes (4.5%) Not all HEAR applicants receive HEAR place – thus not eligible to avail of supports provided

5. Level 3: Student teachers’ stories Face-to-face interviews with 9 non-standard entry-route students in 2 HEIs in Ireland 6 Access-Route Students (4F, 2M), 3 Mature- Entry Students (2F, 1M) A layered approach used in data analysis: narrative analysis of narrative (Polkinghorne, 1995), intertwined with Bourdieu’s concepts Narrative – focus on the ‘relational’ Field positions of students at time of interviews: ‘Belonging’ or ‘Adjusting’

6. Field Positions

7. ‘Belonging’ Transition easy ‘Same’ as everyone else Capacity to draw on and convert capital High level of agency in negotiating both fields Heightened reflexivity‘Adjusting’ Non disclosure of entry route Feeling ‘different / inferior’ to others Capital not identified Failure experienced in one/both fields – ‘Struggling’ Resilience Available supports not always drawn on

8. Implications Visibility and targeting re: WP routes to ITE at pre- entry stage HEIs: ‘normalisation’ of WP entry routes would serve to enhance the student teacher experience HEAR scheme is successful in WP to ITE, but needs to be adequately resourced Pre-entry Access courses very beneficial Teaching Council: Increasing accountability re WP