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Scaffolding structures to promote widening participation in higher education–a meta-ethnographic analysis of qualitative studies

Gummesson, Christina LU and Sjödahl Hammarlund, Catharina LU (2024) In Physical Therapy Reviews 29(4). p.167-176
Abstract

Introduction: Widening participation in education by including students from underrepresented groups has been recognized as important for the last decade. During the recent pandemic, the interest in how to make students from different backgrounds feel part of the university, and connected to their studies and peers, has become an even more widespread concern and therefore important to explore further. The aim of our study was to develop a conceptual model for educational design to support student engagement and participation, by exploring pedagogical aspects recognized as being valuable during widening participation initiatives. Methods: We used meta-ethnography following the recommended seven steps: getting started, developing a search... (More)

Introduction: Widening participation in education by including students from underrepresented groups has been recognized as important for the last decade. During the recent pandemic, the interest in how to make students from different backgrounds feel part of the university, and connected to their studies and peers, has become an even more widespread concern and therefore important to explore further. The aim of our study was to develop a conceptual model for educational design to support student engagement and participation, by exploring pedagogical aspects recognized as being valuable during widening participation initiatives. Methods: We used meta-ethnography following the recommended seven steps: getting started, developing a search strategy, reading and assessing the quality of the papers, analyzing how the different studies related to each other based on the interpretation of quotations of the informants (first order) and the researchers of the articles (second order), translating the meaning of the studies, developing a line of argument, and finally developing a conceptual model to express the synthesis. Three databases we used: PubMed, ERIC, and Scopus; the PRISMA workflow was used. Results: Six articles with a qualitative approach were included. A conceptual model was developed with the theme ‘Scaffolding Strategies’ and four sub-themes: Academic Support, Social Interaction, Processing Expectations and Clarifying Learning Progress. Conclusion: We developed a conceptual model from previous studies that entailed aspects of particular importance to support widening participation. By using scaffolding strategies in course design, teachers and students may collectively improve the learning environment to promote widening participation, through clear instructions and frequent interaction, communication and calibration of expectations, clarification of learning processes and progress, and support for academic-skills development. Furthermore, the importance of using academic support and social interaction between students and teachers early on, to encourage students to explore how to become an independent learner, is highlighted.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
course design, Meta-ethnography, systematic review, widening participation
in
Physical Therapy Reviews
volume
29
issue
4
pages
10 pages
publisher
Maney Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85201819254
ISSN
1083-3196
DOI
10.1080/10833196.2024.2392066
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f5b0ff48-b49b-47f7-aaa6-1add0c63b26b
date added to LUP
2024-10-31 09:36:16
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:17:01
@article{f5b0ff48-b49b-47f7-aaa6-1add0c63b26b,
  abstract     = {{<p>Introduction: Widening participation in education by including students from underrepresented groups has been recognized as important for the last decade. During the recent pandemic, the interest in how to make students from different backgrounds feel part of the university, and connected to their studies and peers, has become an even more widespread concern and therefore important to explore further. The aim of our study was to develop a conceptual model for educational design to support student engagement and participation, by exploring pedagogical aspects recognized as being valuable during widening participation initiatives. Methods: We used meta-ethnography following the recommended seven steps: getting started, developing a search strategy, reading and assessing the quality of the papers, analyzing how the different studies related to each other based on the interpretation of quotations of the informants (first order) and the researchers of the articles (second order), translating the meaning of the studies, developing a line of argument, and finally developing a conceptual model to express the synthesis. Three databases we used: PubMed, ERIC, and Scopus; the PRISMA workflow was used. Results: Six articles with a qualitative approach were included. A conceptual model was developed with the theme ‘Scaffolding Strategies’ and four sub-themes: Academic Support, Social Interaction, Processing Expectations and Clarifying Learning Progress. Conclusion: We developed a conceptual model from previous studies that entailed aspects of particular importance to support widening participation. By using scaffolding strategies in course design, teachers and students may collectively improve the learning environment to promote widening participation, through clear instructions and frequent interaction, communication and calibration of expectations, clarification of learning processes and progress, and support for academic-skills development. Furthermore, the importance of using academic support and social interaction between students and teachers early on, to encourage students to explore how to become an independent learner, is highlighted.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gummesson, Christina and Sjödahl Hammarlund, Catharina}},
  issn         = {{1083-3196}},
  keywords     = {{course design; Meta-ethnography; systematic review; widening participation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{167--176}},
  publisher    = {{Maney Publishing}},
  series       = {{Physical Therapy Reviews}},
  title        = {{Scaffolding structures to promote widening participation in higher education–a meta-ethnographic analysis of qualitative studies}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10833196.2024.2392066}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/10833196.2024.2392066}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}