THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL-CLASS ORIGINS ON THE CHOICE OF COURSE, C~REER PREFERENCES, AND ENTRY TO EMPLOYMENT OF CNAA GRADUATES

The aim of the thesis is to explore the social-class origins and
destinations of CNAA graduates. The thesis begins with a discussion
of social class, its meaning and conceptualization, and social-class
schemas are devised for analysing the origins and destinations of
graduates. Social class, however, is defined in a broad sense to
include the dimensions of gender and ethnicity.
Polytechnics and colleges are shown to have a higher proportion of
working-class and black students than the universities. But despite
their commitment to expanding educational opportunities public
sector institutions remain socially exclusive in so far as they draw
the bulk of their students from more middle-class backgrounds.
Likewise, although public sector institutions appear to have
expanded opportunities for women, female students are found to be
concentrated in a limited number of courses.
The career destinations of graduates are examined next. Significant
differences were found relating to social-class or1g1ns with a
tendency for men from manual backgrounds, women and black graduates
to enter lower-status occupations. These differences appear only
partly to arise from differences in career aspirations. It is
suggested that black and women graduates may be subject to some
discrimination.
Significant differences are found in the destinations of graduates
according to their courses of study, and once allowance is made for
this, the existing relationship between the social-class origins and
destinations of graduates becomes much less marked. An attempt is
made to explain the relationship between the social-class or1g1ns
and destinations of graduates and their courses of study using the
models of contest and sponsored mobility devised by Turner.
Using a four-fold categorization of school curriculums, it was shown
that those graduates who had undertaken a 'utilitarian' school
curriculum were constrained as regards their choice of course,
whilst those who had undertaken an 'academic' curriculum and had
been sponsored through secondary education enjoyed a greater choice
of degree subject. Graduates from working-class or1g1ns were found
to be more likely than their middle-class peers to have undertaken a
'utilitarian' curriculum.