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Narratives of care amongst undergraduate students

Tett, Lyn; Cree, Viviene E.; Mullins, Eve; Christie, Hazel

Authors

Lyn Tett

Viviene E. Cree

Eve Mullins

Hazel Christie



Abstract

This paper addresses a central paradox that affects the nature of the student experience in the U.K. On the one hand, the marketisation of higher education, with its associated emphasis on performativity indicators, may be seen to have reduced students to numbers, with the attendant consequence that the affective domain of studying and learning has been lost. On the other hand, there is more attention given to student feelings than was ever the case in the past and questions about student satisfaction have become more prominent. This paper will explore this paradox using empirical data gathered from a longitudinal study of ‘non-traditional’ students at one ancient university in Scotland. We indicate the ways in which the tension between the technicist spaces of the neoliberal university and its empathetic, caring spaces are mediated by students as they make their way through their degrees. We argue that caring relationships with staff are of central importance to students’ well-being and success at university, and that students actively seek to construct support when and where they need it.

Citation

Tett, L., Cree, V. E., Mullins, E., & Christie, H. (2017). Narratives of care amongst undergraduate students. Pastoral Care in Education, 35(3), 166-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2017.1363813

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 24, 2017
Online Publication Date Sep 1, 2017
Publication Date Jul 3, 2017
Deposit Date Feb 20, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Pastoral Care in Education
Print ISSN 0264-3944
Electronic ISSN 1468-0122
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 35
Issue 3
Pages 166-178
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2017.1363813
Keywords Caring, neoliberal context, higher education, non-traditional qualifications,
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1598584

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