Causes of Awarding Gaps

HEFCE’s major 2015 report on the causes of awarding gaps describes four broad categories of causal explanation: 

• Teaching, learning and assessments.
• Relationships between students and HEIs/staff/employers.
• Social, cultural, and economic capital (what is capital?).
• Psychological and identity factors.

The #ClosingTheGap report from 2019 highlighted the following as notable factors within these categories:

• Representation: low levels of diversity among staff can affect students’ belonging and overburden marginalised individuals.
• Inclusive culture: the extent to which staff acknowledge, understand, and discuss the challenges facing affected groups.
• Curriculum design and delivery: teaching, learning and assessment practices can impact how students from different backgrounds respond to their course, lecturers and tutors.
• Belonging (what is belonging?): Black, Asian and minority ethnic survey respondents at the University of Reading repeatedly cite feeling out of place. HEFCE research (2015) found a sense of belonging to be linked to retention and success.
• Prior attainment: Differential attainment begins prior to university and tends to widen as students progress through higher education.
• Information, advice and guidance: researching where to study could be more of a challenge for underrepresented students and the guidance received is more likely to be described as ‘poor’.
• Financial considerations: the financial pressure of going to university is more salient to those from socio-economic groups who are disproportionately impacted by the cost of living.
• Preparedness for HE: Factors such as previous educational experiences and parental support can affect students’ readiness to transition effectively.

Awarding gaps start in early education and grow over time, widening throughout HE. Nuanced quantitative analysis and qualitative research at programme and modular level could help make visible the potential causes of differential attainment. Local understanding is vital as awarding gap sizes vary between subjects.

A recurring theme from the literature is the importance of ‘asking for help’ – the difference between available resources and utilising resources – stemming from confidence, sense of self and entitlement, tapping into student’s sense of fear and pride, and the importance of the university and staff to normalise seeking support and promote mutual understanding of what it means to be a university student.

Students may face multiple disadvantages. For instance, minority ethnic students are more likely to experience socio-economic hardship and be first-generation entrants to higher education.