Resourcing their own aspirations: first-in-family young people and DIY career counselling
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(Published version)
Date
2024
Authors
McDonald, S.
Stahl, G.
Nguyen, T.
Fairbairn, K.
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Journal article
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British Journal of Educational Studies, 2024; 72(2):235-252
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Abstract
The relationship between career counselling and widening participation is increasingly capturing the attention of educational researchers, especially those interested in its social justice implications. International research on first-in-family students demonstrates the continual class-based barriers they are faced with which influence their progression into and through higher education. Career counselling has an important role to play in both supporting first-in-family students to not only enter university but also set them on a career trajectory which allows them to fulfil their aspirations. However, access to effective forms of career counselling remains fragmented and highly dependent on social class. This article explores how first-in-family students engage in what we call ‘DIY career counselling,’ where they draw on their informal networks and the internet to enhance their understanding of their future prospects and possible trajectories. Their efforts suggest a strong desire to learn more about what university can offer them and how they can position themselves advantageously in the job market; furthermore, their efforts also suggest a consumerist awareness that the career counselling on offer in their secondary schools was lacking.
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Copyright 2023 Society for Educational Studies
Access Condition Notes: Accepted manuscript available after 1 July 2025