Widening Higher Education Participation in Rural Communities in England: An Anchor Institution Model

1. Widening Higher Education Participation in Rural Communities
in England: An Anchor Institution Model
Elliott, Geoffrey
International Review of Education, v64 n1 p65-84 Feb 2018
Against a United Kingdom policy background of attempts to widen higher education participation in a
socially inclusive direction, this article analyses theory, policy and practice to understand why past efforts
have had limited success and to propose an alternative: an "anchor institution" model. A university and a
private training provider were the principal partners in this venture, known as the South-West Partnership
(pseudonym); the model was developed by them to meet the particular needs of mature female students
who want and/or need to study part-time in a rural, coastal and isolated area of south-west England. While
the concept of "anchor institutions" has previously been used in government social policy, and in higher
education to promote knowledge transfer, it has not yet been adopted as a method for widening
participation. The research study presented in this article investigated the effectiveness of the model in
widening higher education participation in the context of the South-West Partnership. The study was
conducted within an interpretivist theoretical framework. It accessed student voices to illustrate the
character of education required to widen participation in vocational higher education by mature female
students in rural communities, through semi-structured qualitative interviews on a range of topics
identified from relevant theoretical literature, and by drawing on the research team's professional
knowledge and experience. These topics included student aspirations and career destinations, motivations,
access, learning experiences, and peer and tutor support. It is hoped the findings will inform the future
development of adult vocational higher education provision in rural areas, where opportunities have been
limited, and encourage further application of the anchor institution model for widening participation
elsewhere.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Access to Education, Rural Areas, Partnerships in
Education, Models, Vocational Education, Females, Adult Students, Semi Structured Interviews, Academic
Aspiration, Occupational Aspiration, Student Motivation, Learning Experience, Peer
Relationship, Tutors, Educational Opportunities
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A Different Result of Community Participation in Education: An
Indonesian Case Study of Parental Participation in Public
Primary Schools
Fitriah, Amaliah; Sumintono, Bambang; Subekti, Nanang Bagus; Hassan, Zainudin
Asia Pacific Education Review, v14 n4 p483-493 Dec 2013
Parental participation in school management is regarded as a good thing according to the rationale that
local people know better and are able to be more responsive to their own needs. However, little is
understood about the implications of the School Operational Support policy for community participation
in education. This study investigated parental participation in the context of education decentralisation
with regard to the changing situation in which the Indonesian government provides sufficient funds for
school operational costs. Using a qualitative inquiry, researchers collected data through document

2. analyses, questionnaires and interviews with stakeholders of two public primary schools in Depok,
Indonesia. The study found that prior to the Free School Program, parental participation was limited to
parents' financial contribution and associated matters. However, since school was made free, parents'
involvement in school budgeting has become very limited; they are no longer engaged in the planning of
allocations, and neither they nor the school committees are able to make inputs into decision making;
even the functions of the school committees are limited to rubber stamping the school budget.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Parent Participation, School Community Relationship, Qualitative
Research, Inquiry, Questionnaires, Interviews, Stakeholders, Elementary Schools, Decision Making, Administrative
Organization
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Parents' Participation in Improving the Quality of Elementary
School in the City of Malang, East Java, Indonesia
Sumarsono, Raden Bambang; Imron, Ali; Wiyono, Bambang Budi; Arifin, Imron
International Education Studies, v9 n10 p256-262 2016
This research aims at describing parents participation in improving the quality of education of elementary
schools viewed from the school substance and management. This is a qualitative research using
phenomenology approach. The research design employed is comparative multicase involving four
elementary schools in Malang city, East java, Indonesia. The choice on the researched schools are based
on the recommendation from education office with regard to the school quality. The data collection is
done by using in-depth interviews, observation, and document related to the parents participation in
improving the quality of elementary school education. The analysis is conducted using flow model
involving the stage of individual case analysis using flow model, which is then continued to cross cases
data analysis which is done simultaneously. The result of data analysis found that parents participation in
improving the quality of education of elementary schools is manifested in the aspects of learning, students
affair, facilities and infrastructure, public relations, educational finance, and school personnel.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Parent Participation, Elementary Schools, Educational Quality, Educational
Improvement, Qualitative Research, Phenomenology, Comparative Analysis, Case Studies, Interviews, Observation
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