Beyond the economics, benefit and cost of higher education: First in family student perspectives
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Date
2015
Authors
Graham, C
King, Sharron
Luzeckyj, Ann
McCann, B
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Queensland University of Technology
Rights
Copyright 2015 The Authors
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The Authors
Abstract
Internationally, higher education is considered key to individual and societal economic success. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this paper broadens our understanding of the benefit and cost of participating in higher education (HE) beyond employment opportunities and tuition fees. The qualitative study on which this paper is based explores the lived experience of eighteen First in Family (FiF) students to create a collection of narrative accounts. On the basis of this evidence, we argue that the benefit of HE extends to encompass the strengthening of FiF students’ sense of competencies and confidence, contributes towards broadening of social experiences, and transforms perspectives. Furthermore, associated non-monetary costs of HE includes the requirement to balance competing life demands and the adoption of poor health behaviours. The study highlights the importance of both monetary and non-monetary factors when assessing overall return on investment of HE.
Description
This article is open access under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC-BY).
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Citation
Graham, C., King, S., Luzeckyj, A.M. and McCann, B. (2015). Beyond the economics, benefit and cost of higher education: First in family student perspectives. In STARS: Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success. Handbook & Proceedings. Online: Jason Thomas Events. STARS: Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success. Melbourne. Jul 2015. pp. 1-10.