Success is often assumed to have a common definition and to be a transparent term. However, the data shows that success is, in reality, personal, sociocultural and structural. According to Government policy and institutional measures, it is considered in terms of pass/fail, grade averages or gaining employment (O’Shea & Delahunty, 2018). However, when students are asked about success, whilst there are references to vocational and quantifiable
notions of success, equally, highly valuable personal, community and familial experiences are conveyed. This research clearly reveals the multidimensional and contextual nature of success.
Prior research has found differences in students’ success at university in relation to their socioeconomic background. However, these studies have used relatively restricted and potentially biased definitions of success (e.g., grade performance, course completions) that do not take into account students’ own perceptions of success. In contrast, this project aims to broaden engagement with notions of success through in-depth consideration
of students’ perspectives, highlighting the diversity of experiences and meanings in the context of students’ lives. Through this process, we move away from imposed, top-down, monodimensional definitions of success towards a
multidimensional understanding that success is related to the diverse contexts of lived experience.
The present project was commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) under the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme National Priorities Pool scheme. The project aimed to provide a more comprehensive and integrative understanding of success in higher education, including when and how it is predicted by students’ socioeconomic status (SES). In particular, the project aimed to investigate SES differences in the definition and experience of success in higher education.
The project focuses on students’ perceptions, experiences and understandings of success, bringing together a quantitative and qualitative study to develop holistic and more equitable understandings of student success in higher education (HE).
Research Background The project focused on Australian university students’ perceptions, experiences and understandings of success, bringing together a quantitative and qualitative study to develop holistic and more equitable understandings of student success in higher education (HE). Success is often assumed to have a common definition and to be a transparent term. However, the data shows that success is, in reality, personal, sociocultural and structural. According to Government policy and institutional measures, it is considered in terms of pass/fail, grade averages or gaining employment (O’Shea & Delahunty, 2018). Studies to date have used relatively restricted and potentially biased definitions of success (e.g., grade performance, course completions) that do not take into account students’ own perceptions of success (Burke, 2020). The project’s overarching research question was: What are the socioeconomic status differences in the definition and experience of success in higher education? Research Contribution This research revealed the multidimensional and contextual nature of success for equity students in Australian higher education. Key findings included a) new understandings of how equity students define success; b) the influence of social connections, relations and commitment; c) the importance of economic and educational relationships; d) the role of cultural expectations, relations and practices; e) the intersection with aspiration and transformation, and f) how students navigated critical life events. Research Significance This project was funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) under the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme National Priorities Pool scheme (HERDC-Category 1). The project generated recommendations for future research, as well as policy and practice recommendations directed to government and higher educational institutions.