The John Fell-funded project explored how British Pakistani and Bangladeshi sixth-form students and their families shape pathways to university, and what higher education can learn from those experiences.
Lady Margaret Hall hosted the final dissemination event for a John Fell-funded research project on 13 June, bringing together the findings of a study into how British Pakistani and Bangladeshi sixth-form students and their families support decisions about higher education.
The project looked at how family support, shared values and community relationships shape young people’s ambitions. It also showed what higher education can learn from the strengths families already bring to the university application process.
Research for the project drew on family workshops held at the University of Oxford, including a session at LMH attended by more than 90 participants and a second at Jesus College attended by 40. Families took part in creative life-map activities and intergenerational storytelling, creating space to share experiences of migration, sacrifice, support and educational ambition.
Dr Aliya Khalid, LMH Research Fellow and Principal Investigator on the project, said: “We hope this research shows that these families are not defined by deficit, but by strength, shared values and long-term ambition.”
The study revealed that British Pakistani and Bangladeshi families actively draw on generations of shared support and sacrifice to navigate the path to higher education. As Dr Khalid explained, “hope functions as a cyclical journey that enables students and their families to grow and succeed together.”
Dr Khalid and the wider team, consisting of Research Associate Dr Stephanie Nowack, Research Associate Dr Sahariar Rahman and Doctoral Student Nadia Talukder, hope the project will lead to meaningful change. “By sharing our work widely, we want to show the strength of these close family and community relationships, and ensure future education policies are shaped by the actual experiences and collective power of these families,” she said.
The project aims to encourage universities to rethink outreach and admissions practice, and to recognise the role of family and community relationships in supporting young people’s ambitions.
Further reading on the findings can be found here.
The research team have also released a podcast, which can be listened to here.
