Understanding the impact of whiteness on academic advising in UK Higher Education, using critical discourse analysis

Hancock, Susannah (2023). Understanding the impact of whiteness on academic advising in UK Higher Education, using critical discourse analysis. Student dissertation for The Open University module E822 Masters multi-disciplinary dissertation: education, childhood and youth.

This dissertation was produced by a student studying the Open University module E822 Masters multi-disciplinary dissertation: education, childhood and youth. The research showcased here achieved a Distinction.
Please note that this student dissertation is made available in the format that it was submitted for examination, thus the author has not been able to correct errors and/or departures from academic standards in areas such as referencing.
Copyright resides with the author.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.000175b0

Abstract

Despite many initiatives over the years, the awarding gap between white and Black students, in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), persists (Universities UK, 2022). In this extended research proposal, I use Critical Race Theory to uncover the underlying reasons for the awarding gap and draw on Bourdieu’s (1977) Theory of Practise to discover whether the habitus and capital of white advisors might impact outcomes for Black students. I propose the use of Critical Discourse Analysis to analyse conversations between white advisors and Black students. The research would be carried by myself, a white female, with white advisors within a UK HEI.