Diverse pathways into higher education: Using students’ stories to identify transformative experiences

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper investigates diverse students’ pathways into higher education through narrative accounts and the framework of perspective transformation. Using findings from the first phase of a longitudinal multi-stage project at an Australian university, it examines factors shaped by socio-economic background, family difficulties, gender, first-generation entry, migration, schooling location, and educational experiences. The analysis argues that enrolment for some participants reflects broader life circumstances rather than primarily transformative experiences, while highlighting narrative inquiry’s value for revealing and potentially supporting transformation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Perspective transformation

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 50, Number 1, April 2010 Diverse pathways into higher education: Using students’ stories to identify transformative experiences Robyn Benson, Lesley Hewitt, Margaret Heagney, Anita Devosand Glenda Crosling Monash University, Australia This paper is based on findings from the first phase of a longitudinal project examining how a group of students from diverse backgrounds succeed in higher education. The concept of perspective transformation is used to explore students’stories about factors that influenced them on their journey to university, including socio-economic background, family difficulties, gender, the effect of being first in family to enter higher education, migration, location and experiences of schooling. The paper argues that, for some participants, the decision to enrol was not primarily the effect of perspective transformation, but rather the result of other aspects of their lives. Finally, we comment on the value of narrative inquiry for revealing participants’ experiences and, potentially, for supporting the process of transformation. Diverse pathways into higher education: Using students’ stories 27 Introduction This paper focuses on the stories of a group of students from diverse backgrounds about their pathways into higher education. Participants include students from low socio-economic groups, non-Englishspeaking and migrant backgrounds, regional and remote areas, as well as students with a medical condition, or who are first in their family to enter university. The paper draws on findings from the first stage of a longitudinal research project which aims to provide insight into how these students succeed. In this three-stage project, on-campus and off-campus students at the commencement of their course discuss their pathways into higher education. Then, while their studies are in progress, the students comment on how they are managing. Finally, they reflect on their experiences at course completion (between two and four years after enrolment, depending on study mode and individual study patterns). The project, undertaken at an Australian university, adapts the research design of a similar project in the United Kingdom (Kirk 2006) . We use the lens of‘perspective transformation’(Mezirow 1978) to examine the students’ pathways into higher education and identify whether their enrolment was primarily the result of transformative experiences, or other aspects of their lives. The project was guided by a number of related theoretical perspectives, including critical theory (Brookfield 2005), experiential learning (Kolb 1984) and participatory action research (Kemmis & McTaggert 2005) . However, the concept of perspective transformation offers potential for examining whether or not the decision to enrol was the result of a fundamental shift in perspective. This analysis will allow subsequent comparison with any perspective shifts that appear to be related to the study experience. In the following sections, we outline the evolution of aspects of Mezirow’s theory that are relevant to this examination, and explain the role of narrative inquiry in accessing evidence of perspective transformation. We then describe our research design and analyse 28 Robyn Benson, Lesley Hewitt, Margaret Heagney, Anita Devos and Glenda Crosling the students’ stories about their pathways into higher education to identify whether or not their enrolment appeared to result predominantly from perspective transformation. Finally, we discuss the outcomes ofthis analysis, suggesting that there is evidence of transformative experiences on the pathways to higher education of some, but not all, of the participants. We note the transformative potential of narrative inquiry itself. Perspective transformation Although Mezirow (1978) focused on the personal transformation of ‘everyday life’, his work was underpinned by critical theory. Subsequently, he related the three basic human

FAQs

What framework does the paper use to analyze students’ pathways into higher education?

It uses the lens of “perspective transformation” to examine whether enrolment resulted primarily from transformative experiences or from other aspects of students’ lives.

What kinds of students are included in the study?

Participants include students from low socio-economic backgrounds, non-English-speaking and migrant backgrounds, students from regional and remote areas, students with a medical condition, and students who are first in their family to enter university.

Does the paper conclude that transformative experiences cause enrolment for all participants?

No. The findings suggest there is evidence of transformative experiences for some participants, but not all; enrolment for some was driven more by other life factors.

Oct 15, 2026

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