1. Developing a complex and socially just conception of universities’ role in postgraduates employability: a Bernsteinian approach Andrea Abbas, University of Bath Rachel Spacey, University of Lincoln SRHE Seminar: Postgraduate PIN/Student Experience Postgraduate Taught Student Experience, Employability and Support Friday 6 May 2016

2. Introduction The problem: How to theorise and conceptualise employability for masters students in a way that is practically useful and is underpinned by a notion of social justice? The site: University of Lincoln (one case of PEP) (Masters students from more diverse backgrounds) Conceptual framework Basil Bernstein (2000)  Pedagogic rights  Pedagogic identities (specialised disciplinary identity)  Knowledge structures Masters have different knowledge structures but all students need to develop the three aspects of the specialised disciplinary identity and to gain access to powerful knowledge The complexity arguably lies with what the type of powerful knowledge needed is oriented towards and with whether the means to the inclusion aspect of pedagogic rights is available.

3. STEM and Policy: Human Capital Approach The idea that STEM Masters programmes are key to economic success (Human Capital Theory) – “Areas can increase the local stock of STEM graduates by educating more local residents in STEM fields, discouraging locally educated STEM graduates from leaving the area, and encouraging STEM graduates from other areas to move to the area. The geographic redistribution of STEM graduates likely hurts losing areas and may create broader social costs if resources spent on recruiting and migration are not efficiency-enhancing, but it is likely to have large benefits for the winning areas and the STEM graduates themselves.” (Winters, 2013) The notion that STEM Masters programmes should be based upon greater collaboration between universities and employers (multiple ways) Universities can serve need for local businesses and address skills shortages – and build economy The success of universities should be evaluated by student’s success in the labour market, including their earnings and the satisfaction of employers with the skills of graduates Diversifying the participation of students from different backgrounds in STEM courses will address inequality issues.

4. Conceptualisations of employability A set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that makes graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy (Yorke, 2006, p.8) Employability Process – mosaic – not a single career (Forrier, 2003) “employability is not purely an individual characteristic that can solely be defined by an individual’s ability and willingness.” Masters courses seem to play a complex role – in complex employment sectors - and tutors support transition in a myriad of ways and it is important to explore and interrogate this complexity in STEM and other disciplines.

5. The University of Lincoln Case Study Entry to Study Survey completed by all the scholarship students (48) and five other PGT STEM students in October 2014 from a potential cohort of 80 Curricula Documents - programme specifications from all the Masters courses involved in the study were analysed Focus Groups a) Five focus groups with 23 PGT STEM students were held including those who did not receive a scholarship and a further 20 students who answered the questions by email in Spring 2015 b) Focus group with PGT STEM programme leaders responding to a discussion document based on the PEP data gathered at the University of Lincoln held in June 2015 Life Grid Interviews – biographical life grids drawn up with 9 of the scholarship students followed by in-depth interviews in early 2015.

6. Disciplinary Profile Participants and disciplines for the survey, focus groups and life grid interviews: PGT STEM MSc students involved in PEP at the University of Lincoln 2014-15 BiotechnologyClinical Animal BehaviourForensic AnthropologyForensic ScienceSport Science Entry to Study Survey 12161519 Focus Groups 9141325 Life Grid Interviews 342 -- Total no. enrolled 2014- 15 12281649

7. Conceptual Framework 1: Pedagogic Rights (Bernstein, 2000, p.xxi) RightsConditionsLevels EnhancementConfidenceIndividual InclusionCommunitasSocial ParticipationCivic DiscoursePolitical Enhancement - right to means of critical understanding and new possibilities Inclusion - socially intellectually and personally Participate - in the construction, maintenance and transformation of order (civic politics) Measure education (policy and curricula) against rights for all.

8. Pedagogic Identity: Bernstein Pedagogic Identity: embedding a career in a collective base – ‘a knowledge career, a moral career and a locational career’ (Bernstein, 2000, p.66) Retrospective pedagogic identity – do not enter into exchange relationships with economy. Hierarchically ordered – strongly framed – focuses on stabilising the past and projecting into future (ibid., p.67). Prospective pedagogic identity – selective re-contextualising of the features of the past to defend or raise performance (we have taken out economic). Careers are foregrounded and knowledge associated with the retrospective identities are embedded in an especially selected past (ibid., p.67). Instrumental pedagogic identity – external signifiers (commodities, status) – and therapeutic – internal sense making processes and the self as a project (ibid., p.67).

9. Specialised Disciplinary Identity McLean et al (2013) Based on an understanding of what sociology students can gain from their degree. Disciplinary Aspect (based on Bernstein’s retrospective) - theoretical, empirical and methodological knowledges - powerful because they offer high ground on the problems of life. Personal/social aspect (Prospective) – comes from the discursive gap that facilitates intervention into the creation of new possible futures. Performative aspect (Instrumental) performing the discipline – skills and dispositions.

10. Disciplinary Aspect (Retrospective) E: It was mainly sort of mechanisms. So what you read in books and textbooks you get they just sort of say ‘right here's a cell, here's what cells do and here's how they do it’ and it's really what I wanted to learn more about. So it was mainly learning about the sort of molecular level of how things work. [OK] And, yeah, and how like pathogens invade humans for example. [Right, wow] So, yeah, it was, I just wanted to learn about all of them and see which one came back as the most interesting. [Yeah] Yeah a lot of them were very interesting, so. I: And what makes them interesting to you then? E: That's a hard one to say, I just find it interesting, knowing the reasons behind how stuff works [Yeah] is just, cause we know a lot of things work, we don't know how it works. [Yes] Essentially so learning how they work [Yeah] is just really good. Edward, 21, MSc Biotechnology, First Generation

11. Disciplinary Aspect (Retrospective) G: I'd like to have… Greater, I was worried about, I know it sounds a bit petty but like, going into a job from doing my degree, [Yeah] being asked to do something and not having a clue how to do it. Or just having like completely blanking, just having that competency and the, not saying that I wasn't before but [Yeah] greater knowledge and depth of… Knowledge. I: So do you think it, it's a confidence thing or is it like a theoretical thing knowing, or is it, or are they both related? You know, if you know more you'll feel more confident. G: I think yeah it's a combination. It's also quite interesting like, I didn't think I’d find bio- energy very interesting whereas I really do and it's different… Aspects I suppose…Just the, I suppose it’s the currentness of it, like what we're learning is, this is what's used right now. Like I remember in first year my degree we had to do, we had to draw what we saw down the microscope down of a sample and I just thought like cameras have been around and it's just easy. Like you don't ever see a drawing of what you see on the slide. And like I quite like what we're doing, it's very current and [Yeah] it's useful as well, and it has different applications. Greg, 22, MSc Biotechnology, Second Generation

12. Disciplinary Aspect (Retrospective) S: Yeah and kind of just disagree with even like tried and tested methods you can sit there and you think ‘well actually there are some flaws in that’. But I kind of, and I think obviously at this level you do have the right to say that's not really so. I: How does this knowledge build upon what you learnt when you were an undergraduate? S: I don't know at undergrad I was very, I was very much; read a textbook, check if it's right, this is right and I think, I think when you're doing undergrad you think you know everything. Like I am being told like everything in the world and I am just amazing. [I laughs] and then actually it's very much a broad sort of, it's like a foundation isn't it really? I: Its building… S: Yeah it really does kind of…Yeah and it's a lot more specific so because it's so specific you find, you can find out more and you can go more in depth into things so you do have a general, rather than just having a general understanding of the topic you, you know a lot more even though it might be a smaller thing but you kind of own that subject. Simon, 22, MSc Forensic Anthropology, First Generation

13. Social Aspect (Prospective) K: More experience in terms of, it's quite an applied course. For example, a lot of places you can just learn about the theory but here we've had practicals so many weeks in a row now with dogs on a Monday but also even if it's not actually physically working with the animals our assignments have been very much you’re not just talking about the theory you're actually doing. So for example, we had to design a questionnaire and we've had to train an animal a novel task. So kind of going back to what I was saying about my undergraduate that wasn't like that and at the same time I hadn't touched an animal since the first year in level four which didn't count towards my final overall degree anyway so… Yeah I think it's, it, it is developing on that knowledge but I think it's making it more eloquent if you could say that. [Yeah] I understand it in terms of the real world, or I’m starting to understand it a lot more in terms of the real world rather than just again the theory textbook side of things. Kay, 25, MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour, Second Generation

14. Social Aspect (Prospective) D: It’s more of a… this is going to sound really big headed… but it’s more of a selfless kind of a view. I want to improve animal welfare, but not from an individual basis. I want to make a much bigger difference for animal welfare as a whole. So, rather than having a reactive approach from having to seek behavioural advice once a situation has become that critical that that needs to happen: a more proactive approach of actually preventing those things from happening. So, the kind of knowledge I’m going to get from the course will hopefully enable me to do that to then work towards how we can prevent rather than cure I suppose. It’s a very grand [laughs] aspiration! Dana, 34, MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour, Second Generation

15. Performative Aspect (Instrumental ) I: Could you sort of think about the ways in which it’s done that [changed the way you see the world] ? T: Just makes me a lot more aware about things and how to critically think about things and how to critically analyse what we read and find flaws in everything because that’s what science is. Tim, 21, MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour, Second Generation

16. Performative Aspect (Instrumental ) J: We get emails from lecturers saying ‘OK I’ve just been emailed this job’ you know. We had an email the other day from one of our lecturers saying ‘there's an internship in the international committee in the Red Cross. So that's in January, I know obviously you're still doing your masters but email them and see what they say and they take up yearly’. Whereas before I wouldn't of heard about that job. I was just typing forensic anthropology and popping it into Google and got a museum or [Yeah] or you know and I think having that kind of person that knows how to get that information [Yeah] and then filters that information to you so you can you know, kind of use it in the future, [Yeah] and that you're not on your own. I think that's a really important point. And kind of developing yourself, personal development I think. Juliet, 22, MSc Forensic Anthropology, First Generation

17. Performative Aspect (Instrumental ) I: So in terms of what you want to get out of this programme, would you say it’s a skills thing? D: Yeah, definitely skills and confidence… No, just that I knew it would help specifically with my confidence because yes, the undergraduate did help with that, but it only helped with it in a general sense rather than in a specific sense. So, having the confidence within the job and the confidence within my abilities to do that job. There’s a lot of what they call peer assessment. So, we assess our own work and they tell us whether we are right or wrong with that assessment. Or, what they would add to it. A lot of the time I underestimate my ability and to have them say ‘actually, you are doubting yourself a lot,’ and ‘you’re underestimating yourself a lot,’ and ‘actually you’re doing better than you think’ does help. Diana, 22, MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour, First Generation

18. Performative Aspect (Instrumental ) L: I’ve applied for a PhD at (name of university) (name of topic) which I really, really, really hope I get. I: So, how do you think the Masters is going to help you get there? L: I think if I didn’t have the Masters I wouldn’t have the confidence to apply for one in the first place because I wouldn’t have had the grounds to say that I’m good enough to do it, but now that I’m really… I: And how did you develop your understanding of how your Masters would contribute? L: I think it’s common sense really. We did a few lectures on applications and how to sell yourself, but that’s inevitable, whatever you call a job. Laura, 21, MSc. Biotechnology, Second Generation

19. Identities, knowledge structures and careers Degree Central Identity Knowledge Structure Key CareersEmployment Activities MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour ProspectiveHorizontal Accredited practitioners Business Academic Practice Soft skills Business skills MSc Biotechnology Retrospective Vertical Research (Academic) Research (Industry/Medical) Visiting practitioners MSc Forensic Science Retrospective & Prospective Vertical & Horizontal Forensic scientist (Lab to court) Research Visiting practitioners Practice training MSc Forensic Anthropology Retrospective & Prospective Vertical & Horizontal Forensic Advisor (Professional Standards) Academic Practitioner skills Work with skeletal collection Overseas field trip MSc Sport Science Prospective Horizontal Professional sports scientist (variety of settings) (BASES) Research Practice Research

20. Pedagogic Rights – Employability DisciplinarySocialPerformative ConfidenceIs it the right disciplinary mix for the particular career? Are the contexts sufficient to learning the knowledge(s)? Are skills sufficient to enact the social and the disciplinary? InclusionAre the disciplines that would facilitate social inclusion in the curricula? Are the contexts for inclusion available? Are the skills that would allow successful inclusion developed? ParticipationHas the student the knowledge to facilitate change. Has the student access to the social contexts to apply disciplinary knowledge and generate new knowledge. Is the employment arena available and accessible to the students’ that are taking the course?

21. Pedagogic Rights Specialised disciplinary identity - ongoing iteration between the 3 aspects (disruptions are easy) Courses are complex and careers individualised The key knowledges may come from, outside disciplines Offered as a possible framework for understanding what is happening and what is going wrong Model

22. Concluding Comments We are trying to develop a model of employability which would facilitate its thinking through in the context of the knowledges associated with disciplines and specific specialised identities. The notion of the Specialised Pedagogic Identity was developed in relation to UG education but can be adapted. Needs further development.