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Selected Works

Professor Sarah O' Shea

Participation

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Education

'University Wasn't Spoken About At Home, It Was Just Assumed That We Would Start Working…': First-In-Family Students, Family Capital And Higher Education Participation, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea Oct 2016

'University Wasn't Spoken About At Home, It Was Just Assumed That We Would Start Working…': First-In-Family Students, Family Capital And Higher Education Participation, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Professor Sarah O' Shea

The increases in the number of students attending higher education, particularly those who are the first in their immediate family to attend university provided the impetus for the study outlined in this article. Whilst previous research has explored the qualitative experience of being a first in family student, very few studies have explicitly focussed on how attending university interacts and impacts upon the immediate family of the learner. Drawing upon in-depth semi-structured interviews, this article will detail the findings from a small-scale study conducted in an Australian university that explored the interaction of the family home place and students' enactment …


Transitions And Turning Points: Exploring How First In Family Female Students Story Their Transition To University And Student Identity Formation, Sarah E. O' Shea Dr Jan 2013

Transitions And Turning Points: Exploring How First In Family Female Students Story Their Transition To University And Student Identity Formation, Sarah E. O' Shea Dr

Professor Sarah O' Shea

The purpose of this article is to explore how one group of students reflect upon their transition into the higher education environment. This qualitative research project followed one group of female undergraduate students as they moved through the first year of study. All of the participants were the first in their family to consider further education and each participated in four semi-structured interviews over one year. Drawing on the conceptual lens of ‘turning points’ the intent is to provide a ‘close-up’ analysis of the complex process of identity formation within the university landscape. By revisiting the students at various points …