Understanding the origins, current and future role of private pathways colleges in the UK public university system. In the university world but not of it?
Publication Date
July 22, 2024
Creator
Abstract
This study investigates a distinctive form of higher education provision in the UK, namely private international colleges operating within the campuses of UK universities, commonly referred to as 'Pathway colleges.' Despite having been established by major private companies through business partnerships with UK university partners for over a decade and a half, the emergence and evolution of Pathway Colleges have remained largely unnoticed and unexamined in education research.
The apparent lack of attention in the literature towards private international colleges is surprising given the considerable interest and coverage that privatisations of public services typically attract in academic research and the mainstream media, as evidenced by Stephen Ball's privatisation of education model. Furthermore, the emergence of private international colleges represents a redefinition of the traditional public university, effectively ushering in the privatisation of teaching, which is one of the core functions of a university.
As there is currently a dearth of literature on pathway colleges, this research occupies a unique position at the intersection of four distinct education debates: the origins and evolution of higher education in the UK, the ongoing public-private debate in UK universities, the internationalisation of UK higher education, and the future of higher education.
This study employs a mixed-method approach, guided by a pragmatic design and research questions rooted in both qualitative and quantitative paradigms. The data for this study was collected through a desk-based documentary analysis, a three-round Delphi method, and six semi-structured interviews conducted with high level professionals working in or with the sector.
Besides providing the inaugural definition of the ‘pathways sector’ this research also offers a comprehensive overview of the industry's landscape dominated by five main private providers. Additionally, it presents a detailed analysis of the academic and business frameworks supporting individual partnerships between universities and pathway providers.
While the model of privatisation of education developed by British sociologist Stephen Ball remains applicable in identifying various types of public-private partnerships, this study suggests two crucial evolutions to it. Firstly, it suggests the repositioning of universities towards the market-oriented extreme of Ball's marketisation continuum. Secondly, it advocates for the incorporation of a dynamic dimension that highlights the transitioning and evolving nature of organisations across various stages of privatisation over time.
Finally, these observations underscore the far-reaching implications of the emergence of pathways colleges in relation to the broader process of privatisation within the higher education sector. It solidifies the perception of universities as moving away from their public mission of knowledge production, transmission, and dissemination for the common good, towards a model that increasingly serves private interests and personal gain.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
EdD
Supervisors
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
School of Education (UK)
eprints ID
78028
UoN Repository URI
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EdD Thesis - Final version - 4240886_BOVILLE_J_V6.pdf
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Full-text
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Examined. Post Viva corrections
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4.68 MB
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