Weight of costs – the financial aspects of student course choices and study experiences in a Croatian higher education setting

Doolan, Karin (2010) Weight of costs – the financial aspects of student course choices and study experiences in a Croatian higher education setting. Revija za socijalnu politiku, 17 (2). pp. 239-256. ISSN 1330-2965 (Print), 1845-6014 (Online)

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Abstract

International higher education participation research suggests that students’ financial circumstances can constrain course choices and study experiences. This paper contributes to such findings by drawing on data collected at the University of Zagreb in the academic year 2006/2007 in order to discuss how differing levels of financial resources have shaped the higher education course choices and study experiences of selected Croatian students. The paper conceptually addresses the implications of such differing levels of financial means by drawing on Bourdieu’s differentiation between objectified and embodied capital. It is argued that this distinction is a conceptually productive way to capture both the study-related quantity aspect of economic capital (e.g. availability of funds to cover study costs), as well as its incorporated repercussions (e.g. feelings of financial security or insecurity and social distance). The reported data point to the dependence on family financial support for students in Croatia. Related to this, continuation to higher education and course choice have been recognized as restricted for students with lower levels of family financial means. The financial aspects of the university experience are described as encompassing both costs internal to the institution, such as tuition fees and study materials, as well as external costs relating to, for example, accommodation and travel. The distinction between students living at home and away is flagged as particularly relevant for understanding student experiences, since non-fee paying students living at home, irrespective of their family’s financial means, do not seem to have substantial financial concerns weighing on their progress ; which is not a scenario shared by their less privileged counterparts living away from home. The paper also draws attention to processes by which institutions reinforce economic inequalities (e.g. socially insensitive tuition fees or poorly equipped library). (IN CROATIAN: Međunarodna istraživanja o sudjelovanju studenata u visokom obrazovanju pokazuju kako ekonomski status studenata utječe na njihov izbor studija i obrazovna iskustva. Ovaj članak doprinosi tom istraživačkom području analizom podataka prikupljenih na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu u akademskoj godini 2006./2007., s ciljem razmatranja odnosa između dostupnih financijskih sredstava i obrazovnih izbora i iskustava odabranih studenata u Hrvatskoj. Članak konceptualno uokviruje obrazovne posljedice ekonomskog statusa Bourdieuovim razlikovanjem između objektiviranog i inkorporiranog kapitala. Razlika se predlaže kao analitički produktivna za primjećivanje kvantitativnog aspekta ekonomskog kapitala vezanog uz studij (npr. dostupnost financijskih sredstava za pokrivanje troškova studija), kao i njegovih inkorporiranih posljedica (npr. osjećaji financijske sigurnosti ili nesigurnosti i socijalna distanca). Predstavljeni podaci ukazuju na ključnu ulogu obitelji u pogledu financiranja troškova studiranja u hrvatskom kontekstu, koja dovodi do ograničenja mogućnosti nastavka školovanja na visokoškolskoj razini i izbora studija za studente iz obitelji nižeg ekonomskog statusa. Financijski aspekti visokoškolskog obrazovnog iskustva prepoznati su u obliku direktnih institucionalnih troškova, kao što su školarine i nastavni i radni materijali, te u obliku indirektnih troškova koji uključuju troškove stanovanja i putovanja. Naglašava se razlika između studenata koji žive kod kuće s roditeljima te onih koji ne žive u obiteljskom domu kao značajan čimbenik za razumijevanje studentskih iskustava: intervjuirani studenti koji nisu plaćali školarine i koji žive s roditeljima nisu imali značajnije financijske brige koje bi utjecale na njihov obrazovni uspjeh, neovisno o njihovoj procjeni ekonomskog statusa obitelji, za razliku od svojih kolega iz obitelji nižeg ekonomskog statusa koji nisu živjeli u obiteljskom domu. U članku se navode i mehanizmi kojima visokoškolske institucije učvršćuju ekonomske razlike među studentima, kao što su socijalno neosjetljive školarine i slabo opremljena knjižnica.)

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Language: English. Title in croatian: Teret troškova – financijski aspekti izbora studija i iskustva studiranja u hrvatskom visokoškolskom kontekstu.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Economic capital, Bourdieu, objectified and embodied states of capital, Croatian higher education, student course choice and studying experiences (ekonomski kapital, Bourdieu, objektivirani i inkorporirani oblici kapitala, visokoškolsko obrazovanje u Hrvatskoj, izbor studija i obrazovna iskustva studenata)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
L Education > L Education (General)
Depositing User: Karolina Vranješ
Date Deposited: 18 Feb 2015 14:26
Last Modified: 03 Mar 2015 12:20
URI: http://idiprints.knjiznica.idi.hr/id/eprint/98

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