“A Uniform Seemed to be the Obvious Thing”: Experience of Careers Information, Advice and Guidance on Potential Participants in HE

The growth of higher education is a global phenomenon and provides
challenges for educational leaders in schools and universities. Raising
aspiration and participation requires an understanding of the sources of
advice and information available to potential participants and how these
are used when they decide whether or not to participate.
This article draws on a qualitative study using social network analysis
undertaken in England. This study examined the nature of decision making
amongst individuals who have chosen not to participate in higher education
despite possessing the qualifications and experience which would enable
them to be admitted to a university programme. The research sought to
identify their decision-making processes within the ‘networks of intimacy’
that are their family, friends and significant individuals in their educational
and/or working environments, past or present. Lying at the heart of the
research is the belief that, in social network analysis, it is the interpersonal
relationships rather than the individuals that form the unit of analysis.
This article examines the role of information, advice and guidance
(IAG) on individuals when they make the decision whether or not to
participate in higher education. It considers the experience that individuals
had at school, and explores their career decision making engaged in outside
the school environment, and beyond the age of 18. It spells out the
implications for educational leaders and managers in schools and
universities as well as policy makers concerned about improving
participation rates in all sectors of the community.