Widening the gap: pre-university gap years and the ‘economy of experience'
Widening the gap: pre-university gap years and the ‘economy of experience'
Embarking upon a pre-university gap year is an increasingly popular option amongst British students. Drawing on Brown et al’s (2003) work on positional conflict theory and the increased importance of the ‘economy of experience’, this paper seeks to explore this growing popularity and argues that the gap year’s enhanced profile raises important questions concerning the processes by which certain groups of young people are able to gain advantage other others during a period of educational expansion. Indeed, it is arguably no coincidence that the gap year’s popularity has taken off in parallel with this expansion, as the gap year emerges as an important means of ‘gaining the edge’ over other students in the context of increased competition for entry to elite institutions.
89-103
Heath, Sue
f4df85b4-fdde-4353-8641-08a4b9fbbcae
January 2007
Heath, Sue
f4df85b4-fdde-4353-8641-08a4b9fbbcae
Heath, Sue
(2007)
Widening the gap: pre-university gap years and the ‘economy of experience'.
British Journal of Sociology of Education, 28 (1), .
(doi:10.1080/01425690600996717).
Abstract
Embarking upon a pre-university gap year is an increasingly popular option amongst British students. Drawing on Brown et al’s (2003) work on positional conflict theory and the increased importance of the ‘economy of experience’, this paper seeks to explore this growing popularity and argues that the gap year’s enhanced profile raises important questions concerning the processes by which certain groups of young people are able to gain advantage other others during a period of educational expansion. Indeed, it is arguably no coincidence that the gap year’s popularity has taken off in parallel with this expansion, as the gap year emerges as an important means of ‘gaining the edge’ over other students in the context of increased competition for entry to elite institutions.
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Published date: January 2007
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Local EPrints ID: 35102
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/35102
ISSN: 0142-5692
PURE UUID: 9e307262-680b-4f4e-bb5d-173f50f8a994
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Date deposited: 02 Jun 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:50
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Author:
Sue Heath
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