Publications by category
Books
Harrison N, Mountford-Zimdars A (eds)(2017). Access to Higher Education: Theoretical perspectives and contemporary challenges., Routledge.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2016). Can holistic and contextualised admission (HaCA) widen access at highly selective universities?: Experiences from England and the United States.
Zimdars AM (2016).
Meritocracy and the University: Selective Admission in England and the United States. London, Bloomsbury Publishing.
Abstract:
Meritocracy and the University: Selective Admission in England and the United States
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Post D, Sabbagh D (2015).
Fair Access to Higher Education Global Perspectives.Abstract:
Fair Access to Higher Education Global Perspectives
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Post D, Sabbagh D (2014). Fair Access to Higher Education., University of Chicago Press.
Journal articles
Eguigurem Wray O, Pollard SAM, Mountford-Zimdars A (In Press). An investigation into the contextual admissions information available at UK medical schools’ websites: what are the opportunities for enhancement?. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education
Mountford-Zimdars A, Hayes L (In Press). Changing a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice to a postgraduate apprenticeship at one English university: impacts for academic identities and staff development practices. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Tampubolon G (In Press). Ethnic Diversity and European's Generalised Trust: How Inclusive Immigration Policy can Aid a Positive Association. Sociological Research Online
Mountford-Zimdars A, Flood J (In Press). The Relative Weight of Subject Knowledge and Type of University Attended: a Comparison of Law Higher Education in England and Germany. SSRN Electronic Journal
Mountford-Zimdars A, Grim J (In Press). The power of professors and professionals” for the journal Professions and professionalism. Professions and Professionalism
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Moore J, Higham L (In Press). What is the current state of debate around the use of contextualised admissions for undergraduate admissions? a review of the current stakeholder perspective. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education
Playford C, Mountford-Zimdars A, Benham-Clarke S (2023). Coast and City, it Matters Where you Live: How Geography Shapes Progression to Higher Education in England.
Social Sciences,
12(11), 1-19.
Abstract:
Coast and City, it Matters Where you Live: How Geography Shapes Progression to Higher Education in England
Progression to higher education in England varies markedly by region, with lower rates of participation outside of London. While some previous studies have explored challenges in accessing higher education in rural and coastal areas, there is a lack of research which considers both individual-level and geographic effects in relation to regional variations in HE progression. In this study, using multivariate regression analysis, we examine whether regional differences in transition to higher education can be explained by the rural/coastal nature of the geographic area in which young people grow up, by area-level deprivation, or by the characteristics of young people living within these regions. The analysis uses the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, a representative cohort study. These data have been linked to information on the proximity to the coast. Consistent with other work, we find that individual differences and area-level deprivation predict HE aspirations and progression. The newly introduced coastal/rural indicator also predicts HE aspirations and progression, but this is mitigated by the inclusion of individual differences and area-level deprivation. However, we find that unexplained regional differences persist. In particular, the South West of England emerges as a regional cold spot for HE. Consequently, policy makers should consider the role that regional dynamics may have in influencing the choices and constraints faced by young people. The approach may also be applicable to understanding inequalities in progression to HE in other countries.
Abstract.
Jones B, Peri-Rotem N, Mountford-Zimdars A (2023). Geographic opportunities for assisted reproduction: a study of regional variations in access to fertility treatment in England.
Human FertilityAbstract:
Geographic opportunities for assisted reproduction: a study of regional variations in access to fertility treatment in England
It is estimated that one in seven couples in the UK experience infertility, though just over half of those affected by it seek professional help. Previous studies pointed to potential socioeconomic barriers in accessing assisted reproduction, however, less is known about geographic accessibility to fertility treatment and the way it is associated with measures of deprivation. In this study, we used publicly available data on fertility clinics, combined with official statistics for 315 local authorities in England, to create a standardized measure of geographic accessibility to fertility services. In addition, using a negative binomial regression model, we estimated the link between socioeconomic measures at the local authority level and availability of fertility services. We found that geographic accessibility to assisted reproduction is significantly higher in the most advantaged local authorities in terms of average household income and level of deprivation. This may lead to reduced opportunities for realizing fertility aspirations among those suffering from infertility in more deprived areas. Taking into account both socioeconomic and geographic barriers to accessing fertility treatment can contribute to a better understanding of help-seeking patterns for infertility, likelihood of achieving a live birth and inform policy to equalise opportunities in access to infertility treatment.
Abstract.
Full text.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Grim JK (2023). The Power of Professors and Professionals: How Professions Shape Organizational Systems in Elite University Admissions. Professions and Professionalism, 12(3).
Flanagan R, Mountford-Zimdars A, Channon M (2022). #Mypathtolaw: understanding access to the legal profession through a ricoeurian analysis.
Research in Post-Compulsory Education,
27(3), 478-499.
Abstract:
#Mypathtolaw: understanding access to the legal profession through a ricoeurian analysis
We investigated the narratives of enablers and barriers to entry into law communicated through 650 UK tweets posted under the twitter hashtag #mypathtolaw in 2018. Law students, solicitors, barristers and legal academics used this hashtag for sharing their personal paths to a legal career. We use Ricoeur’s theory of dialogues between the archaeology (past) and the teleology (future) of the self. This has previously been applied to legal ethics, but never before to understanding access to the legal profession. Our findings show that tweeters had a strong narrative of agency and ability to succeed against adversity–perhaps underplaying structural barriers. Notable through its absence is the reference to structural barriers, such as class, school, and university type and the converse individual narratives of perseverance. We find that poor or discouraging careers advice had been a significant barrier. We conclude with recommendations for schools, universities and the legal profession around diversifying the narratives used to showcase legal careers and suggest that universities engaging in training for careers advisors may further widen participation.
Abstract.
Clements N, Davies S, Mountford-Zimdars A (2022). How professionalisation of outreach practitioners could improve the quality of evaluation and evidence: a proposal.
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education,
26(2), 63-68.
Abstract:
How professionalisation of outreach practitioners could improve the quality of evaluation and evidence: a proposal
Professionalising outreach and evaluation work would enhance the quality and rigour of provision, benefit widening participation students and achieve regulatory requirements (Bowes et al. [2019]. The National Collaborative Outreach Programme end of Phase 1 report for the national formative and impact evaluations. Office for Students; Rainford [2020]. “Working with/in institutions: how policy enactment in widening participation is shaped through practitioners’ experience.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 42 (2): 287–303). This article presents practitioners’ experiences of how social justice can often feel unaligned to the technical expertise required in rigorous project design and evaluation. Professionalising outreach would achieve both improved practice and meet practitioners’ needs for development and a united professional voice. A professional body sharing standard methods of practice, offering CPD and skills would elevate outreach practitioners to a ‘professional’ standing (Eraut [1994]. Developing professional knowledge and competence. Falmer Press).
Abstract.
Strawbridge R, Mountford-Zimdars A, Fernandes C, Tognin S, Koutsantoni K, Hodgman C, Williams BP, Kravariti E, Komarraju M, Lea SJ, et al (2022). Learning to teach and teaching to learn: a small-group tutorial model enhances postgraduate tutors’ and tutees’ academic experience. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3
Koutsouris G, Mountford-Zimdars A, Dingwall K (2021). The ‘ideal’ higher education student: understanding the hidden curriculum to enable institutional change. Research in Post-Compulsory Education
Murray C, Mountford-Zimdars A, Mattick K (2021). Which disadvantaged students study medicine? Analysis of an English outreach scheme. Health Science Reports
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J, Shiner R (2020). Enhancing Widening Participation Evaluation through the development of a self-assessment tool for practitioners: Learning from the OfS project Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2) 2017-2019.
Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning,
22(2), 44-66.
Abstract:
Enhancing Widening Participation Evaluation through the development of a self-assessment tool for practitioners: Learning from the OfS project Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2) 2017-2019
The ultimate goal of widening participation work, which unites policymakers, practitioners and academics, is to enhance the experience of disadvantaged students relating to HE access, success and outcomes. This article presents the Office for Students' (OfS) commissioned project Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2). This project sought to create a step-change in robustness of evidence used and evaluation practices. Our 2017 – 19 project explored evaluation practices among nine partner organisations drawn from higher education providers (HEPs) and third-sector partners. The initial aim was to pilot test the Standards of Evidence of Evaluation developed during Phase 1 research; share practices that work and highlight examples of best practice. As the project developed, a further outcome was envisaged through ongoing discussions between the OfS, academics, HEPs and third-sector parties: a self-assessment tool for evaluation practitioners. This tool provides a framework and guidance which allow practitioners to map their own evaluation approaches. Through using prompts, the five dimensions of the tool highlight strengths and weaknesses of evaluation within five domains (strategic context, programme design, evaluation design, evaluation implementation and learning). This new tool is, in effect, a five-point framework setting guidance about good evaluation practice. It was rolled out to all HEPs in spring 2019, when providers were invited to return the completed tool and their reflection as part of their access and participation planning.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J (2020). Identifying merit and potential beyond grades: Opportunities and challenges in using contextual data in undergraduate admissions at nine highly selective English universities. Oxford Review of Education
Barg K, Benham-Clarke S, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Investigating the Imagination of Possible and ‘Like-to-Avoid’ Selves among Higher Education Students from Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds at a Selective English University. Social Science
Grim J, Moore-Vissing Q, Mountford-Zimdars AK (2019). A comparative study of the factors shaping postsecondary aspirations for low-income students in greater Boston and greater London. British Journal of Sociology of Education
Kenedi G, Mountford-Zimdars A (2018). Does educational expertise matter for PVCs education? a UK study of PVCs’ educational background and skills.
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management,
40(3), 193-207.
Abstract:
Does educational expertise matter for PVCs education? a UK study of PVCs’ educational background and skills
Pro-Vice-Chancellors (PVCs) form the second-tier leadership of UK higher education institutions. However, their role and position remain under-theorised and under-researched. The present article explores the extent to which a PVC Education role requires core expertise in education or generic managerial skills. Using a mixed-methods approach, we first establish the disciplinary backgrounds of PVCs Education in Russell Group (RG) and post-1992 institutions. Fewer than one in five PVCs Education have a disciplinary background or additional formal training in education. Second, we conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with PVCs Education, Heads of Education Departments and Heads of Learning and Teaching units. These interviews suggest the PVC Education role requires managerial skills, usually acquired in previous headships, as well as academic credibility and knowledge of institutional processes rather than particular expertise in education. In sum, generic managerial skills rather than educational expertise are paramount for understanding the profile of PVCs Education in UK universities.
Abstract.
Gaulter J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2018). The power of ‘unrecognizable habitus’: inclusion and exclusion among 10 British low-socio-economic status students abroad.
British Journal of Sociology of Education,
39(6), 876-890.
Abstract:
The power of ‘unrecognizable habitus’: inclusion and exclusion among 10 British low-socio-economic status students abroad
We present the experience of 10 British low-socio-economic status students who were supported by a charitable scheme to be internationally mobile and who are currently studying at a range of highly selective universities and liberal arts colleges in the North-Eastern United States. Based on semi-structured interviews and the discussion of artefacts symbolizing their experience, findings show that by moving across national contexts, cultural cues of socio-economic difference such as the vernacular become less recognizable, thus reducing the likelihood for ‘social identity threat’ and feeling of not belonging. The self-concept and habitus of these students is transformed, as they adopt the upper and middle-class dispositions and career pathways associated with elite college culture, thus suggesting the possibility of a wholesale escape of habitus.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2018). Who gets in?: strategies for fair and effective college admissions.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES,
66(2), 276-278.
Author URL.
Brown K, Mountford-Zimdars A (2017). Exploring academic hiring and life in humanities and social sciences at an English research university through a PhD students-as-partners project.
Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education,
8(1), 15-29.
Abstract:
Exploring academic hiring and life in humanities and social sciences at an English research university through a PhD students-as-partners project
Purpose
The purpose of this study is twofold: to make explicit academics’ tacit knowledge of academic employment and to develop the educational research and employability skills of 12 postgraduate researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
Twelve postgraduate researchers from ten different disciplines conducted 24 semi-structured interviews (12 with early career academics, 12 with senior academics). Respondents shared the skills, experiences and attributes sought when hiring and their lived experience of being academics.
Findings
The importance given to both explicitly stated (publications, teaching experience) and implicit (values, behaviour) factors varies greatly among individual academics. There is a mismatch between stated job requirements and the realities of academic life. A students-as-partners project fosters critical engagement with these questions and offers other benefits to participants.
Research limitations/implications
Most respondents work at one research-intensive English institution, potentially limiting generalisability to teaching-led and international institutions.
Practical/implications
Researcher development programmes should make explicit the range of factors considered in hiring while also encouraging critical engagement with the realities of academic work. Through students-as-partners projects, postgraduate research students can uncover first-hand what academic life is like and what hiring committees are looking for.
Originality/value
Through involving students-as-partners, the research question changed to reflect the actual concerns of those contemplating an academic career. Students gained invaluable awareness of academic hiring and insights into academic life, as well as transferable skills.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Sanders J, Moore J, Sabri D, Jones S, Higham L (2017). What can universities do to support all their students to progress successfully throughout their time at university?.
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education,
21(2-3), 101-110.
Abstract:
What can universities do to support all their students to progress successfully throughout their time at university?
This article reviews the findings from a UK nationwide project on the causes of differences in student outcomes in higher education. The project was commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and reported in July 2015. We found that universities with an embedded, institution-wide approach that engaged senior managers, academic staff, professional service staff and students as stakeholders and agents in the differential outcomes agenda were most promising in decreasing progression gaps. Universities use targeted and universal interventions to affect change. Initiatives that tackle assessment and the content and meaning of curricula are a promising stream of interventions. Overall, more evaluations on what works and sharing of practice will further enable the sector to support all higher education students in reaching their academic potential.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J, Graham J (2016). Is contextualised admission the answer to the access challenge?.
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education,
20(4), 143-150.
Abstract:
Is contextualised admission the answer to the access challenge?
This article reviews the idea of contextualising applicants to higher education in order to widen access. First, the meaning of contextualised admissions (CAs) is discussed before laying out the rationale for contextualising applicants and the beneficiaries of the policy. The final sections discuss key critiques of CA and conclude by arguing that CA does go some way to addressing the access challenge. To fully realise its potential as a policy intervention though, it is most helpfully part of integrated support for students throughout university and is mindful of the role of universities in wider society to create more equal progression trajectories for young people from a range of backgrounds.
Abstract.
Singh S, Mountford-Zimdars A (2016). Policy enactment in Widening Participation: enablers and barriers in a comparative English and Australian study. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 18(2), 22-49.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2015). Contest and adjustment sponsorship in the selection of elites: Re-visiting Turner’s mobility modes for England through an analysis of undergraduate admissions at the University of Oxford. Sociologie, 6(2), 157-157.
Clark S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Francis B (2015). Risk, choice and social disadvantage: Young people’s decision-making in a marketised higher education system.
Sociological Research Online,
20(3).
Abstract:
Risk, choice and social disadvantage: Young people’s decision-making in a marketised higher education system
Rising tuition fees in England have been accompanied by a policy mandate for universities to widen participation by attracting students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This article focuses on one such group of high achieving students and their responses to rising tuition fees within the context of their participation in an outreach scheme at a research-intensive university in the UK. Our findings suggest that rather than being deterred from attending university as a result of fee increases, these young people demonstrated a detailed and fairly sophisticated understanding of higher education provision as a stratified and marketised system and justified fees within a discourse of ‘private good.‘ Our analysis situates their ‘risk’ responses within the discursive tensions of the fees/widening participation mandate. We suggest that this tension highlights an intensified commodification of the relationship between higher education institutions and potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds in which widening participation agendas have shifted towards recruitment exercises. We argue that an ongoing effect of this shift has resulted in increased instrumentalism and a narrowing of choices for young people faced with the task of seeking out ‘value for money’ in their degrees whilst concurrently engaging in a number of personalised strategies aimed at compensating for social disadvantage in a system beset by structural inequalities.
Abstract.
Heath A, Sullivan A, Boliver V, Zimdars A (2013). Education under New Labour, 1997-2010. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 29(1), 227-247.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Sabbagh D (2013). Fair access to higher education: a comparative perspective. Comparative Education Review, 57(3 SUPPL), 359-368.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Jones S, Sullivan A, Heath A (2013). Framing higher education: questions and responses in the British Social Attitudes survey, 1983-2010.
British Journal of Sociology of Education,
34(5-6), 792-811.
Abstract:
Framing higher education: questions and responses in the British Social Attitudes survey, 1983-2010
This article focuses on questions and attitudes towards higher education in the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series. First, we analyse the changing BSA questions (1983-2010) in the context of key policy reports. Our results show that changes in the framing of higher education questions correspond with changes in the macro-discourse of higher education policies. Second, we focus on the 2010 BSA survey responses to investigate how attitudes towards higher education are related to respondents' characteristics. Respondents' socio-economic position predicts attitudes towards higher education. Graduates and professionals are most likely to support a reduction in higher education opportunities, but those who have so far benefitted least from higher education are supportive of expansion. One interpretation - with potential implications for social mobility - is that those who have already benefited from higher education are most inclined to pull the ladder up behind them. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.
Abstract.
Ogg T, Zimdars A, Heath A (2013). Schooling effects on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford University.
British Educational Research Journal,
35(5), 781-807.
Abstract:
Schooling effects on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford University
This article examines the cause of school type effects upon gaining a first class degree at Oxford University, whereby for a given level of secondary school performance, private school students perform less well at degree level. We compare the predictive power of an aptitude test and secondary school grades (GCSEs) for final examination performance, using data from the Oxford Admissions Study. Both metrics are predictive of final degree performance but the school effects are only statistically robust for arts students. Private school students perform less well in final examinations relative to their GCSE results when compared with state school students, but they do not under perform relative to their aptitude test scores or in gross terms. It is therefore argued that teaching effects, associated with private school students, distort secondary school grades as an indicator of academic potential in higher education when compared to state school students.
Abstract.
Mellanby J, Zimdars A, Cortina-Borja M (2013). Sex differences in degree performance at the University of Oxford. Learning and Individual Differences, 26, 103-111.
Zimdars A, Nazroo J, Gjonça E (2012). The circumstances of older people in England with self-reported visual impairment: a secondary analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).
British Journal of Visual Impairment,
30(1), 22-30.
Abstract:
The circumstances of older people in England with self-reported visual impairment: a secondary analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
One key challenge to those charged with tackling the social exclusion of visually impaired people is having information about the extent to which visual impairment is related to the ability to enjoy and participate in various aspects of life. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), this article considers how self-reported visual impairment is related to older people’s physical health and cognitive abilities, their economic and housing conditions, their social engagement, as well as their emotional well-being and life-satisfaction. We find self-reported poor vision to be associated with multiple disadvantages in those outcome measures. Further research is needed to establish causal links between visual impairment and the various health, economic, social and emotional well-being experiences documented in this article. Nevertheless, secondary data analysis of ELSA offers a useful and cost-effective research approach.
Abstract.
Zimdars AK (2011). The Competition for Pupillages at the Bar of England and Wales (2000–2004)<sup>1</sup>.
Journal of Law and Society,
38(4), 575-603.
Abstract:
The Competition for Pupillages at the Bar of England and Wales (2000–2004)1
Fair entry into the legal profession promotes legal legitimacy and the inclusiveness of the administration of justice. This article asks which individual factors predict success in the competition for entry to the Bar of England and Wales. Using data from 2,178 British aspiring barristers, it finds that university attended and attainment at university and in the BVC were the strongest predictors of gaining pupillage. Ethnic minorities were initially disadvantaged in the competition for pupillages, but this became statistically insignificant when taking into account attainment and type of university. However, those aged 30 and above were still disadvantaged in securing pupillages when controlling for attainment and university. The article highlights the challenges of fair selection into a graduate‐entry legal profession. Entry is reliant on the profile of graduates emerging from the prior education system where ascribed characteristics such as ethnicity, attainment, and university type influence opportunities.
Abstract.
Andersen R, Zimdars A (2010). Class, education and extreme party support in Germany, 1991–98. German Politics, 12(2), 1-23.
Zimdars A (2010). Fairness and undergraduate admission: a qualitative exploration of admissions choices at the University of Oxford. Oxford Review of Education, 36(3), 307-323.
Zimdars A (2010). The profile of pupil barristers at the Bar of England and Wales 2004–2008. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 17(2), 117-134.
Sullivan A, Zimdars A, Heath A (2010). The social structure of the 14–16 curriculum in England. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 20(1), 5-21.
Mellanby J, Zimdars A (2010). Trait anxiety and final degree performance at the University of Oxford. Higher Education, 61(4), 357-370.
Zimdars A, Sullivan A, Heath A (2009). Elite Higher Education Admissions in the Arts and Sciences: is Cultural Capital the Key?.
Sociology,
43(4), 648-666.
Abstract:
Elite Higher Education Admissions in the Arts and Sciences: is Cultural Capital the Key?
This article examines the extent to which cultural capital helps to explain the link between social background and gaining an offer for study at the University of Oxford. We find that cultural knowledge, rather than participation in the beaux arts, is related to admissions decisions.This effect is particularly pronounced in arts subjects. We only partly support Bourdieu's postulation of cultural capital as the main differentiator between fractions of the middle class. Measures of cultural capital do not account for the gender gap in admission and only explain a small part of the disadvantage faced by South-Asian applicants.
Abstract.
Zimdars AK (2006). Testing the spill-over hypothesis: meritocracy in enrolment in postgraduate education. Higher Education, 54(1), 1-19.
Chapters
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J (2023). Addressing Awarding Gaps through Assessment Design. In Evans C, Waring M (Eds.) Research Handbook on Innovations in Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education, Elgar publishing.
Moore J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2023). Addressing Student Differential Learning Outcomes through Assessment Design. In (Ed)
Research Handbook on Innovations in Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education.
Abstract:
Addressing Student Differential Learning Outcomes through Assessment Design
Abstract.
Dent S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Burke C (2022). Conclusion: Top Tips for Putting Theory of Change into Practice. In (Ed) Theory of Change, Emerald, 163-172.
Harrison N (2022). How do we know What we think we Know – and Are We Right? Five New Questions about Research, Practice and Policy on Widening Access to Higher Education. In Dent S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Burke C (Eds.) Theory of Change: Debates and Applications to Access and Participation in Higher Education, Emerald Group Publishing.
Dent S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Burke C (2022). Introduction. In (Ed) Theory of Change, Emerald, 1-8.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Bastedo M (2022). Moving towards more holistic assessment. In (Ed) Routledge Handbook of the Sociology of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis, 200-212.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Bastedo M (2022). Moving towards more holistic assessment: Selective admissions in the US and England at the brink of the 2020s. In (Ed) Routledge Handbook of the Sociology of Higher Education, 200-212.
Moore J, Cotterill V, Davey A, Mountford-Zimdars A (2022). Using Theory of Change to Enhance Evaluation and Evidence. In (Ed) Theory of Change, Emerald, 57-79.
Sanders J, Moore J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Elusive and Elastic, and ‘Incorrigibly Plural’: Definitions and Conceptualisations of Teaching Excellence. In (Ed) Challenging the Teaching Excellence Framework, Emerald, 11-46.
Sanders J, Moore J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Operationalising Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: from ‘Sheep-dipping’ to ‘Virtuous Practice’. In (Ed) Challenging the Teaching Excellence Framework, Emerald, 47-94.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2019). Admissions. In Amey M, David M (Eds.) SAGE Encyclopedia of Higher Education.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2019). The practical and ethical underpinnings of higher education access policies. In Delisle J, Usher A (Eds.) International Perspectives in Higher Education, Harvard Education Press.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Teulon P (2014). AABe or not to AABe: a very English problem. In (Ed)
International Perspectives on Higher Education Admission Policy a Reader, Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften.
Abstract:
AABe or not to AABe: a very English problem
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2014). Are admissions models for undergraduate study converging among highly selective universities in England and the US?. In (Ed) Higher Education in the UK and the US: Converging University Models in a Global Academic World?, 91-112.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2014). Who is the best? Selecting undergraduates in competitive admissions contexts. In (Ed)
International Perspectives on Higher Education Admission Policy a Reader, Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften.
Abstract:
Who is the best? Selecting undergraduates in competitive admissions contexts
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Sullivan A, Heath A (2012). Higher Education: Attitudes towards funding, fees and opportunities. In (Ed)
British Social Attitudes 28, SAGE Publications Limited.
Abstract:
Higher Education: Attitudes towards funding, fees and opportunities
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Sullivan A, Heath A (2009). Cultural Capital and Admissions to Oxford. In (Ed)
Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu, Springer Science & Business Media.
Abstract:
Cultural Capital and Admissions to Oxford
Abstract.
Zimdars A, Sullivan A, Heath AF (2009). Cultural capital and access to highly selective education: the case of admission to Oxford. In (Ed)
Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu, 117-128.
Abstract:
Cultural capital and access to highly selective education: the case of admission to Oxford
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2008). Ethnic minority applicants to Oxford: the challenges of achieving social justice at the university Gate. In Hallden K, Le Grand, Hellgren (Eds.) Ethnicity, equality and Justice: Beyond the paradigms of recognition and redistribution, Cambridge Scholar Press.
Conferences
Yildirim H, Mountford-Zimdars A (2021). THE IMPACT OF HOME LEARNING ON PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) DURING COVID-19 SCHOOL CLOSURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK). EDULEARN21 Proceedings.
Reports
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Moore J, Higham L, Sanders J, Jones S, Candarli D (2017). Analysis of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF2) provider submissions. HEA, file:///C:/Users/k1077004/Downloads/TEF2%20Provider%20Submissions%20Review_2.pdf.
Moore J, Higham L (2016). Access to Science Careers. Social Mobility Commission.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Sanders J, Moore J (2016). Teaching Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences., British Academy.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, sanders J, jones S, sabri D, moore J (2015).
Causes of Differences in Student Outcomes, Higher Education Funding Council for England. HEFCE.
Abstract:
Causes of Differences in Student Outcomes, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Abstract.
Moore J, Wiggans J (2013). Contextualised admissions: Examining the Evidence. Supporting Professionalism in Admissions.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2010). Selection into Pupillage. Bar Council.
Nazroo J (2010). Social inclusion, social circumstances and the quality of life of visually impaired older people. Thomas Pocklington Trust.
Atkinson T (2004). The demographic profile of UK graduate students admitted to the University of. Oxford. University of Oxford.
Publications by year
In Press
Eguigurem Wray O, Pollard SAM, Mountford-Zimdars A (In Press). An investigation into the contextual admissions information available at UK medical schools’ websites: what are the opportunities for enhancement?. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education
Mountford-Zimdars A, Hayes L (In Press). Changing a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice to a postgraduate apprenticeship at one English university: impacts for academic identities and staff development practices. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Tampubolon G (In Press). Ethnic Diversity and European's Generalised Trust: How Inclusive Immigration Policy can Aid a Positive Association. Sociological Research Online
Mountford-Zimdars A, Flood J (In Press). The Relative Weight of Subject Knowledge and Type of University Attended: a Comparison of Law Higher Education in England and Germany. SSRN Electronic Journal
Mountford-Zimdars A, Grim J (In Press). The power of professors and professionals” for the journal Professions and professionalism. Professions and Professionalism
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Moore J, Higham L (In Press). What is the current state of debate around the use of contextualised admissions for undergraduate admissions? a review of the current stakeholder perspective. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education
2023
Al Maqbali S (2023). Academics’ Understanding and Experiences of Leadership in Omani Higher Education.
Abstract:
Academics’ Understanding and Experiences of Leadership in Omani Higher Education
This research has adopted an exploratory qualitative design to explore how academics (deans, assistant deans, and faculty staff) at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Oman understand and experience leadership. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups, with an analysis of secondary documents.
Senior academics (deans and assistant deans) in the study viewed themselves strongly as ‘leaders’ framed within a wider discourse of leadership whilst those faculty staff positioned at lower levels of the organisational hierarchy viewed senior academics primarily as ‘managers.’ By way of contrast, thematic analysis revealed that the experiences and descriptions of organisational work practices of both groups of research participants were strongly related to bureaucratic-administrative processes widely described as managerial and to the influence of personal networks. As such, this leadership focused research reveals complex, contradictory and tense representations of organisational life. These are viewed as being linked to the coexistence of personal networks within a largely buried bureaucratic model under the strong weight of a leadership discourse adopted by the senior academics and a management discourse understood by other academics as it is antonym.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J (2023). Addressing Awarding Gaps through Assessment Design. In Evans C, Waring M (Eds.) Research Handbook on Innovations in Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education, Elgar publishing.
Moore J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2023). Addressing Student Differential Learning Outcomes through Assessment Design. In (Ed)
Research Handbook on Innovations in Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education.
Abstract:
Addressing Student Differential Learning Outcomes through Assessment Design
Abstract.
Playford C, Mountford-Zimdars A, Benham-Clarke S (2023). Coast and City, it Matters Where you Live: How Geography Shapes Progression to Higher Education in England.
Social Sciences,
12(11), 1-19.
Abstract:
Coast and City, it Matters Where you Live: How Geography Shapes Progression to Higher Education in England
Progression to higher education in England varies markedly by region, with lower rates of participation outside of London. While some previous studies have explored challenges in accessing higher education in rural and coastal areas, there is a lack of research which considers both individual-level and geographic effects in relation to regional variations in HE progression. In this study, using multivariate regression analysis, we examine whether regional differences in transition to higher education can be explained by the rural/coastal nature of the geographic area in which young people grow up, by area-level deprivation, or by the characteristics of young people living within these regions. The analysis uses the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, a representative cohort study. These data have been linked to information on the proximity to the coast. Consistent with other work, we find that individual differences and area-level deprivation predict HE aspirations and progression. The newly introduced coastal/rural indicator also predicts HE aspirations and progression, but this is mitigated by the inclusion of individual differences and area-level deprivation. However, we find that unexplained regional differences persist. In particular, the South West of England emerges as a regional cold spot for HE. Consequently, policy makers should consider the role that regional dynamics may have in influencing the choices and constraints faced by young people. The approach may also be applicable to understanding inequalities in progression to HE in other countries.
Abstract.
Jones B, Peri-Rotem N, Mountford-Zimdars A (2023). Geographic opportunities for assisted reproduction: a study of regional variations in access to fertility treatment in England.
Human FertilityAbstract:
Geographic opportunities for assisted reproduction: a study of regional variations in access to fertility treatment in England
It is estimated that one in seven couples in the UK experience infertility, though just over half of those affected by it seek professional help. Previous studies pointed to potential socioeconomic barriers in accessing assisted reproduction, however, less is known about geographic accessibility to fertility treatment and the way it is associated with measures of deprivation. In this study, we used publicly available data on fertility clinics, combined with official statistics for 315 local authorities in England, to create a standardized measure of geographic accessibility to fertility services. In addition, using a negative binomial regression model, we estimated the link between socioeconomic measures at the local authority level and availability of fertility services. We found that geographic accessibility to assisted reproduction is significantly higher in the most advantaged local authorities in terms of average household income and level of deprivation. This may lead to reduced opportunities for realizing fertility aspirations among those suffering from infertility in more deprived areas. Taking into account both socioeconomic and geographic barriers to accessing fertility treatment can contribute to a better understanding of help-seeking patterns for infertility, likelihood of achieving a live birth and inform policy to equalise opportunities in access to infertility treatment.
Abstract.
Full text.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Grim JK (2023). The Power of Professors and Professionals: How Professions Shape Organizational Systems in Elite University Admissions. Professions and Professionalism, 12(3).
2022
Flanagan R, Mountford-Zimdars A, Channon M (2022). #Mypathtolaw: understanding access to the legal profession through a ricoeurian analysis.
Research in Post-Compulsory Education,
27(3), 478-499.
Abstract:
#Mypathtolaw: understanding access to the legal profession through a ricoeurian analysis
We investigated the narratives of enablers and barriers to entry into law communicated through 650 UK tweets posted under the twitter hashtag #mypathtolaw in 2018. Law students, solicitors, barristers and legal academics used this hashtag for sharing their personal paths to a legal career. We use Ricoeur’s theory of dialogues between the archaeology (past) and the teleology (future) of the self. This has previously been applied to legal ethics, but never before to understanding access to the legal profession. Our findings show that tweeters had a strong narrative of agency and ability to succeed against adversity–perhaps underplaying structural barriers. Notable through its absence is the reference to structural barriers, such as class, school, and university type and the converse individual narratives of perseverance. We find that poor or discouraging careers advice had been a significant barrier. We conclude with recommendations for schools, universities and the legal profession around diversifying the narratives used to showcase legal careers and suggest that universities engaging in training for careers advisors may further widen participation.
Abstract.
Dent S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Burke C (2022). Conclusion: Top Tips for Putting Theory of Change into Practice. In (Ed) Theory of Change, Emerald, 163-172.
Harrison N (2022). How do we know What we think we Know – and Are We Right? Five New Questions about Research, Practice and Policy on Widening Access to Higher Education. In Dent S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Burke C (Eds.) Theory of Change: Debates and Applications to Access and Participation in Higher Education, Emerald Group Publishing.
Clements N, Davies S, Mountford-Zimdars A (2022). How professionalisation of outreach practitioners could improve the quality of evaluation and evidence: a proposal.
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education,
26(2), 63-68.
Abstract:
How professionalisation of outreach practitioners could improve the quality of evaluation and evidence: a proposal
Professionalising outreach and evaluation work would enhance the quality and rigour of provision, benefit widening participation students and achieve regulatory requirements (Bowes et al. [2019]. The National Collaborative Outreach Programme end of Phase 1 report for the national formative and impact evaluations. Office for Students; Rainford [2020]. “Working with/in institutions: how policy enactment in widening participation is shaped through practitioners’ experience.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 42 (2): 287–303). This article presents practitioners’ experiences of how social justice can often feel unaligned to the technical expertise required in rigorous project design and evaluation. Professionalising outreach would achieve both improved practice and meet practitioners’ needs for development and a united professional voice. A professional body sharing standard methods of practice, offering CPD and skills would elevate outreach practitioners to a ‘professional’ standing (Eraut [1994]. Developing professional knowledge and competence. Falmer Press).
Abstract.
Dent S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Burke C (2022). Introduction. In (Ed) Theory of Change, Emerald, 1-8.
Strawbridge R, Mountford-Zimdars A, Fernandes C, Tognin S, Koutsantoni K, Hodgman C, Williams BP, Kravariti E, Komarraju M, Lea SJ, et al (2022). Learning to teach and teaching to learn: a small-group tutorial model enhances postgraduate tutors’ and tutees’ academic experience. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3
Mountford-Zimdars A, Bastedo M (2022). Moving towards more holistic assessment. In (Ed) Routledge Handbook of the Sociology of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis, 200-212.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Bastedo M (2022). Moving towards more holistic assessment: Selective admissions in the US and England at the brink of the 2020s. In (Ed) Routledge Handbook of the Sociology of Higher Education, 200-212.
Hallam I (2022). Psychology of college higher education student persistence: a mixed methods exploration of the role of personal tutors during COVID-19 campus closures.
Abstract:
Psychology of college higher education student persistence: a mixed methods exploration of the role of personal tutors during COVID-19 campus closures
Non-traditional students are more likely to withdraw from their studies without completing an undergraduate qualification than their peers. This research explores the utility of Tinto’s (2017b) psychological model of student persistence to explain non-traditional students’ persistence at a college higher education provider in the southwest of England, the University Centre. Further, the research investigated the role of personal tutors in fostering persistence during the COVID-19 campus closures. This mixed methods study consisted of 13 longitudinal focus groups with ten college higher education students during the first campus closures between April and October 2020, and an online survey to determine the generalisability of the focus group findings regarding student experience, persistence and tutorial to a wider student population (n=64) during the second campus closure between December 2020 and May 2021. The research found that the nature of college higher education students, typically being mature students, parents, working alongside their studies and from non-academic backgrounds, gave them a determination and resilience to persist with their studies during the COVID-19 campus closures. Students felt they mattered to their personal tutors and other University Centre staff, this mattering grew within relationship-rich tutorial practices and helped students to persist. What is more, whether a student had a weekly tutorial was the only significant factor predicting those who contemplated withdrawal and those that did not during the academic year. Students’ goals were initially present-orientated and student-focused to finish their studies, but with growing self-efficacy and exposure to future possibilities during their studies, students began to develop different possible-selves for their future. Recognising the limitations of the case study approach, this research recommends college higher education providers foster students’ persistence by recognising the role of their pasts, presents and futures, and giving staff, particularly personal tutors, time and space to develop rich relationships with their tutees so students recognise they matter.
Abstract.
Moore J, Cotterill V, Davey A, Mountford-Zimdars A (2022). Using Theory of Change to Enhance Evaluation and Evidence. In (Ed) Theory of Change, Emerald, 57-79.
2021
Yildirim H, Mountford-Zimdars A (2021). THE IMPACT OF HOME LEARNING ON PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) DURING COVID-19 SCHOOL CLOSURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK). EDULEARN21 Proceedings.
Koutsouris G, Mountford-Zimdars A, Dingwall K (2021). The ‘ideal’ higher education student: understanding the hidden curriculum to enable institutional change. Research in Post-Compulsory Education
Murray C, Mountford-Zimdars A, Mattick K (2021). Which disadvantaged students study medicine? Analysis of an English outreach scheme. Health Science Reports
2020
Yeeles P, Baars S, Mulcahy E, Shield W, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Assessing the early impact of school and college closures on students in England, Centre for Social Mobility, University of Exeter.
Sanders J, Moore J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Elusive and Elastic, and ‘Incorrigibly Plural’: Definitions and Conceptualisations of Teaching Excellence. In (Ed) Challenging the Teaching Excellence Framework, Emerald, 11-46.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J, Shiner R (2020). Enhancing Widening Participation Evaluation through the development of a self-assessment tool for practitioners: Learning from the OfS project Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2) 2017-2019.
Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning,
22(2), 44-66.
Abstract:
Enhancing Widening Participation Evaluation through the development of a self-assessment tool for practitioners: Learning from the OfS project Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2) 2017-2019
The ultimate goal of widening participation work, which unites policymakers, practitioners and academics, is to enhance the experience of disadvantaged students relating to HE access, success and outcomes. This article presents the Office for Students' (OfS) commissioned project Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2). This project sought to create a step-change in robustness of evidence used and evaluation practices. Our 2017 – 19 project explored evaluation practices among nine partner organisations drawn from higher education providers (HEPs) and third-sector partners. The initial aim was to pilot test the Standards of Evidence of Evaluation developed during Phase 1 research; share practices that work and highlight examples of best practice. As the project developed, a further outcome was envisaged through ongoing discussions between the OfS, academics, HEPs and third-sector parties: a self-assessment tool for evaluation practitioners. This tool provides a framework and guidance which allow practitioners to map their own evaluation approaches. Through using prompts, the five dimensions of the tool highlight strengths and weaknesses of evaluation within five domains (strategic context, programme design, evaluation design, evaluation implementation and learning). This new tool is, in effect, a five-point framework setting guidance about good evaluation practice. It was rolled out to all HEPs in spring 2019, when providers were invited to return the completed tool and their reflection as part of their access and participation planning.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J (2020). Identifying merit and potential beyond grades: Opportunities and challenges in using contextual data in undergraduate admissions at nine highly selective English universities. Oxford Review of Education
Barg K, Benham-Clarke S, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Investigating the Imagination of Possible and ‘Like-to-Avoid’ Selves among Higher Education Students from Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds at a Selective English University. Social Science
Sanders J, Moore J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2020). Operationalising Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: from ‘Sheep-dipping’ to ‘Virtuous Practice’. In (Ed) Challenging the Teaching Excellence Framework, Emerald, 47-94.
2019
Grim J, Moore-Vissing Q, Mountford-Zimdars AK (2019). A comparative study of the factors shaping postsecondary aspirations for low-income students in greater Boston and greater London. British Journal of Sociology of Education
Mountford-Zimdars A (2019). Admissions. In Amey M, David M (Eds.) SAGE Encyclopedia of Higher Education.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2019). The practical and ethical underpinnings of higher education access policies. In Delisle J, Usher A (Eds.) International Perspectives in Higher Education, Harvard Education Press.
2018
Kenedi G, Mountford-Zimdars A (2018). Does educational expertise matter for PVCs education? a UK study of PVCs’ educational background and skills.
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management,
40(3), 193-207.
Abstract:
Does educational expertise matter for PVCs education? a UK study of PVCs’ educational background and skills
Pro-Vice-Chancellors (PVCs) form the second-tier leadership of UK higher education institutions. However, their role and position remain under-theorised and under-researched. The present article explores the extent to which a PVC Education role requires core expertise in education or generic managerial skills. Using a mixed-methods approach, we first establish the disciplinary backgrounds of PVCs Education in Russell Group (RG) and post-1992 institutions. Fewer than one in five PVCs Education have a disciplinary background or additional formal training in education. Second, we conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with PVCs Education, Heads of Education Departments and Heads of Learning and Teaching units. These interviews suggest the PVC Education role requires managerial skills, usually acquired in previous headships, as well as academic credibility and knowledge of institutional processes rather than particular expertise in education. In sum, generic managerial skills rather than educational expertise are paramount for understanding the profile of PVCs Education in UK universities.
Abstract.
Gaulter J, Mountford-Zimdars A (2018). The power of ‘unrecognizable habitus’: inclusion and exclusion among 10 British low-socio-economic status students abroad.
British Journal of Sociology of Education,
39(6), 876-890.
Abstract:
The power of ‘unrecognizable habitus’: inclusion and exclusion among 10 British low-socio-economic status students abroad
We present the experience of 10 British low-socio-economic status students who were supported by a charitable scheme to be internationally mobile and who are currently studying at a range of highly selective universities and liberal arts colleges in the North-Eastern United States. Based on semi-structured interviews and the discussion of artefacts symbolizing their experience, findings show that by moving across national contexts, cultural cues of socio-economic difference such as the vernacular become less recognizable, thus reducing the likelihood for ‘social identity threat’ and feeling of not belonging. The self-concept and habitus of these students is transformed, as they adopt the upper and middle-class dispositions and career pathways associated with elite college culture, thus suggesting the possibility of a wholesale escape of habitus.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2018). Who gets in?: strategies for fair and effective college admissions.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES,
66(2), 276-278.
Author URL.
2017
Harrison N, Mountford-Zimdars A (eds)(2017). Access to Higher Education: Theoretical perspectives and contemporary challenges., Routledge.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Moore J, Higham L, Sanders J, Jones S, Candarli D (2017). Analysis of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF2) provider submissions. HEA, file:///C:/Users/k1077004/Downloads/TEF2%20Provider%20Submissions%20Review_2.pdf.
Brown K, Mountford-Zimdars A (2017). Exploring academic hiring and life in humanities and social sciences at an English research university through a PhD students-as-partners project.
Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education,
8(1), 15-29.
Abstract:
Exploring academic hiring and life in humanities and social sciences at an English research university through a PhD students-as-partners project
Purpose
The purpose of this study is twofold: to make explicit academics’ tacit knowledge of academic employment and to develop the educational research and employability skills of 12 postgraduate researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
Twelve postgraduate researchers from ten different disciplines conducted 24 semi-structured interviews (12 with early career academics, 12 with senior academics). Respondents shared the skills, experiences and attributes sought when hiring and their lived experience of being academics.
Findings
The importance given to both explicitly stated (publications, teaching experience) and implicit (values, behaviour) factors varies greatly among individual academics. There is a mismatch between stated job requirements and the realities of academic life. A students-as-partners project fosters critical engagement with these questions and offers other benefits to participants.
Research limitations/implications
Most respondents work at one research-intensive English institution, potentially limiting generalisability to teaching-led and international institutions.
Practical/implications
Researcher development programmes should make explicit the range of factors considered in hiring while also encouraging critical engagement with the realities of academic work. Through students-as-partners projects, postgraduate research students can uncover first-hand what academic life is like and what hiring committees are looking for.
Originality/value
Through involving students-as-partners, the research question changed to reflect the actual concerns of those contemplating an academic career. Students gained invaluable awareness of academic hiring and insights into academic life, as well as transferable skills.
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Sanders J, Moore J, Sabri D, Jones S, Higham L (2017). What can universities do to support all their students to progress successfully throughout their time at university?.
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education,
21(2-3), 101-110.
Abstract:
What can universities do to support all their students to progress successfully throughout their time at university?
This article reviews the findings from a UK nationwide project on the causes of differences in student outcomes in higher education. The project was commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and reported in July 2015. We found that universities with an embedded, institution-wide approach that engaged senior managers, academic staff, professional service staff and students as stakeholders and agents in the differential outcomes agenda were most promising in decreasing progression gaps. Universities use targeted and universal interventions to affect change. Initiatives that tackle assessment and the content and meaning of curricula are a promising stream of interventions. Overall, more evaluations on what works and sharing of practice will further enable the sector to support all higher education students in reaching their academic potential.
Abstract.
2016
Moore J, Higham L (2016). Access to Science Careers. Social Mobility Commission.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2016). Can holistic and contextualised admission (HaCA) widen access at highly selective universities?: Experiences from England and the United States.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Moore J, Graham J (2016). Is contextualised admission the answer to the access challenge?.
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education,
20(4), 143-150.
Abstract:
Is contextualised admission the answer to the access challenge?
This article reviews the idea of contextualising applicants to higher education in order to widen access. First, the meaning of contextualised admissions (CAs) is discussed before laying out the rationale for contextualising applicants and the beneficiaries of the policy. The final sections discuss key critiques of CA and conclude by arguing that CA does go some way to addressing the access challenge. To fully realise its potential as a policy intervention though, it is most helpfully part of integrated support for students throughout university and is mindful of the role of universities in wider society to create more equal progression trajectories for young people from a range of backgrounds.
Abstract.
Zimdars AM (2016).
Meritocracy and the University: Selective Admission in England and the United States. London, Bloomsbury Publishing.
Abstract:
Meritocracy and the University: Selective Admission in England and the United States
Abstract.
Singh S, Mountford-Zimdars A (2016). Policy enactment in Widening Participation: enablers and barriers in a comparative English and Australian study. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 18(2), 22-49.
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Sanders J, Moore J (2016). Teaching Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences., British Academy.
2015
Mountford-Zimdars AK, sanders J, jones S, sabri D, moore J (2015).
Causes of Differences in Student Outcomes, Higher Education Funding Council for England. HEFCE.
Abstract:
Causes of Differences in Student Outcomes, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2015). Contest and adjustment sponsorship in the selection of elites: Re-visiting Turner’s mobility modes for England through an analysis of undergraduate admissions at the University of Oxford. Sociologie, 6(2), 157-157.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Post D, Sabbagh D (2015).
Fair Access to Higher Education Global Perspectives.Abstract:
Fair Access to Higher Education Global Perspectives
Abstract.
Clark S, Mountford-Zimdars A, Francis B (2015). Risk, choice and social disadvantage: Young people’s decision-making in a marketised higher education system.
Sociological Research Online,
20(3).
Abstract:
Risk, choice and social disadvantage: Young people’s decision-making in a marketised higher education system
Rising tuition fees in England have been accompanied by a policy mandate for universities to widen participation by attracting students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This article focuses on one such group of high achieving students and their responses to rising tuition fees within the context of their participation in an outreach scheme at a research-intensive university in the UK. Our findings suggest that rather than being deterred from attending university as a result of fee increases, these young people demonstrated a detailed and fairly sophisticated understanding of higher education provision as a stratified and marketised system and justified fees within a discourse of ‘private good.‘ Our analysis situates their ‘risk’ responses within the discursive tensions of the fees/widening participation mandate. We suggest that this tension highlights an intensified commodification of the relationship between higher education institutions and potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds in which widening participation agendas have shifted towards recruitment exercises. We argue that an ongoing effect of this shift has resulted in increased instrumentalism and a narrowing of choices for young people faced with the task of seeking out ‘value for money’ in their degrees whilst concurrently engaging in a number of personalised strategies aimed at compensating for social disadvantage in a system beset by structural inequalities.
Abstract.
2014
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Teulon P (2014). AABe or not to AABe: a very English problem. In (Ed)
International Perspectives on Higher Education Admission Policy a Reader, Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften.
Abstract:
AABe or not to AABe: a very English problem
Abstract.
Mountford-Zimdars A (2014). Are admissions models for undergraduate study converging among highly selective universities in England and the US?. In (Ed) Higher Education in the UK and the US: Converging University Models in a Global Academic World?, 91-112.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Post D, Sabbagh D (2014). Fair Access to Higher Education., University of Chicago Press.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2014). Who is the best? Selecting undergraduates in competitive admissions contexts. In (Ed)
International Perspectives on Higher Education Admission Policy a Reader, Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften.
Abstract:
Who is the best? Selecting undergraduates in competitive admissions contexts
Abstract.
2013
Moore J, Wiggans J (2013). Contextualised admissions: Examining the Evidence. Supporting Professionalism in Admissions.
Heath A, Sullivan A, Boliver V, Zimdars A (2013). Education under New Labour, 1997-2010. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 29(1), 227-247.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Sabbagh D (2013). Fair access to higher education: a comparative perspective. Comparative Education Review, 57(3 SUPPL), 359-368.
Mountford-Zimdars A, Jones S, Sullivan A, Heath A (2013). Framing higher education: questions and responses in the British Social Attitudes survey, 1983-2010.
British Journal of Sociology of Education,
34(5-6), 792-811.
Abstract:
Framing higher education: questions and responses in the British Social Attitudes survey, 1983-2010
This article focuses on questions and attitudes towards higher education in the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series. First, we analyse the changing BSA questions (1983-2010) in the context of key policy reports. Our results show that changes in the framing of higher education questions correspond with changes in the macro-discourse of higher education policies. Second, we focus on the 2010 BSA survey responses to investigate how attitudes towards higher education are related to respondents' characteristics. Respondents' socio-economic position predicts attitudes towards higher education. Graduates and professionals are most likely to support a reduction in higher education opportunities, but those who have so far benefitted least from higher education are supportive of expansion. One interpretation - with potential implications for social mobility - is that those who have already benefited from higher education are most inclined to pull the ladder up behind them. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.
Abstract.
Ogg T, Zimdars A, Heath A (2013). Schooling effects on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford University.
British Educational Research Journal,
35(5), 781-807.
Abstract:
Schooling effects on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford University
This article examines the cause of school type effects upon gaining a first class degree at Oxford University, whereby for a given level of secondary school performance, private school students perform less well at degree level. We compare the predictive power of an aptitude test and secondary school grades (GCSEs) for final examination performance, using data from the Oxford Admissions Study. Both metrics are predictive of final degree performance but the school effects are only statistically robust for arts students. Private school students perform less well in final examinations relative to their GCSE results when compared with state school students, but they do not under perform relative to their aptitude test scores or in gross terms. It is therefore argued that teaching effects, associated with private school students, distort secondary school grades as an indicator of academic potential in higher education when compared to state school students.
Abstract.
Mellanby J, Zimdars A, Cortina-Borja M (2013). Sex differences in degree performance at the University of Oxford. Learning and Individual Differences, 26, 103-111.
2012
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Sullivan A, Heath A (2012). Higher Education: Attitudes towards funding, fees and opportunities. In (Ed)
British Social Attitudes 28, SAGE Publications Limited.
Abstract:
Higher Education: Attitudes towards funding, fees and opportunities
Abstract.
Zimdars A, Nazroo J, Gjonça E (2012). The circumstances of older people in England with self-reported visual impairment: a secondary analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).
British Journal of Visual Impairment,
30(1), 22-30.
Abstract:
The circumstances of older people in England with self-reported visual impairment: a secondary analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
One key challenge to those charged with tackling the social exclusion of visually impaired people is having information about the extent to which visual impairment is related to the ability to enjoy and participate in various aspects of life. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), this article considers how self-reported visual impairment is related to older people’s physical health and cognitive abilities, their economic and housing conditions, their social engagement, as well as their emotional well-being and life-satisfaction. We find self-reported poor vision to be associated with multiple disadvantages in those outcome measures. Further research is needed to establish causal links between visual impairment and the various health, economic, social and emotional well-being experiences documented in this article. Nevertheless, secondary data analysis of ELSA offers a useful and cost-effective research approach.
Abstract.
2011
Zimdars AK (2011). The Competition for Pupillages at the Bar of England and Wales (2000–2004)<sup>1</sup>.
Journal of Law and Society,
38(4), 575-603.
Abstract:
The Competition for Pupillages at the Bar of England and Wales (2000–2004)1
Fair entry into the legal profession promotes legal legitimacy and the inclusiveness of the administration of justice. This article asks which individual factors predict success in the competition for entry to the Bar of England and Wales. Using data from 2,178 British aspiring barristers, it finds that university attended and attainment at university and in the BVC were the strongest predictors of gaining pupillage. Ethnic minorities were initially disadvantaged in the competition for pupillages, but this became statistically insignificant when taking into account attainment and type of university. However, those aged 30 and above were still disadvantaged in securing pupillages when controlling for attainment and university. The article highlights the challenges of fair selection into a graduate‐entry legal profession. Entry is reliant on the profile of graduates emerging from the prior education system where ascribed characteristics such as ethnicity, attainment, and university type influence opportunities.
Abstract.
2010
Andersen R, Zimdars A (2010). Class, education and extreme party support in Germany, 1991–98. German Politics, 12(2), 1-23.
Zimdars A (2010). Fairness and undergraduate admission: a qualitative exploration of admissions choices at the University of Oxford. Oxford Review of Education, 36(3), 307-323.
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2010). Selection into Pupillage. Bar Council.
Nazroo J (2010). Social inclusion, social circumstances and the quality of life of visually impaired older people. Thomas Pocklington Trust.
Zimdars A (2010). The profile of pupil barristers at the Bar of England and Wales 2004–2008. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 17(2), 117-134.
Sullivan A, Zimdars A, Heath A (2010). The social structure of the 14–16 curriculum in England. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 20(1), 5-21.
Mellanby J, Zimdars A (2010). Trait anxiety and final degree performance at the University of Oxford. Higher Education, 61(4), 357-370.
2009
Mountford-Zimdars AK, Sullivan A, Heath A (2009). Cultural Capital and Admissions to Oxford. In (Ed)
Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu, Springer Science & Business Media.
Abstract:
Cultural Capital and Admissions to Oxford
Abstract.
Zimdars A, Sullivan A, Heath AF (2009). Cultural capital and access to highly selective education: the case of admission to Oxford. In (Ed)
Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu, 117-128.
Abstract:
Cultural capital and access to highly selective education: the case of admission to Oxford
Abstract.
Zimdars A, Sullivan A, Heath A (2009). Elite Higher Education Admissions in the Arts and Sciences: is Cultural Capital the Key?.
Sociology,
43(4), 648-666.
Abstract:
Elite Higher Education Admissions in the Arts and Sciences: is Cultural Capital the Key?
This article examines the extent to which cultural capital helps to explain the link between social background and gaining an offer for study at the University of Oxford. We find that cultural knowledge, rather than participation in the beaux arts, is related to admissions decisions.This effect is particularly pronounced in arts subjects. We only partly support Bourdieu's postulation of cultural capital as the main differentiator between fractions of the middle class. Measures of cultural capital do not account for the gender gap in admission and only explain a small part of the disadvantage faced by South-Asian applicants.
Abstract.
2008
Mountford-Zimdars AK (2008). Ethnic minority applicants to Oxford: the challenges of achieving social justice at the university Gate. In Hallden K, Le Grand, Hellgren (Eds.) Ethnicity, equality and Justice: Beyond the paradigms of recognition and redistribution, Cambridge Scholar Press.
2006
Zimdars AK (2006). Testing the spill-over hypothesis: meritocracy in enrolment in postgraduate education. Higher Education, 54(1), 1-19.
2004
Atkinson T (2004). The demographic profile of UK graduate students admitted to the University of. Oxford. University of Oxford.
