White Working Class Males in British Higher Education neighbourhoods and 73 percent from high participation neighbourhoods progressed to the next stage of their degree ( Ross , 2016 ).
With regards to degree attainment , overall , 79 percent of white students achieved a ' good degree ' ( a First or 2:1 ), compared with 63 percent of BME graduates . Among graduates from low participation neighbourhoods , 76 percent of white students from low participation neighbourhoods ( POLAR3 / Quintile1 neighbourhoods ) achieved a First or 2:1 , compared with white students from high participation neighbourhoods , among which 80 percent earned a First or 2:1 and compared to BME graduates , 65 percent from low participation neighbourhoods and 64 percent from high participation neighbourhoods earned a First or 2:1 . Among the 2015 graduating class , 2,623 white students ( 93 percent ) were from high participation postcodes , while just 197 white students ( 7 percent ) were from low participation postcodes ( Ross , 2016 ).
In summary , white students from low participation neighbourhoods at the University of Portsmouth are more likely to progress to the next level of their course than any other group . They are more likely to earn a First or a 2:1 degree than their BME peers . However , they are marginally less likely to earn a First or a 2:1 degree than their white peers from high participation postcodes ( Ross , 2016 ). However , the available demographics data for the University of Portsmouth fails to account for intersectional characteristics . Data about gender and race are accounted for separately . While white students from low participation postcodes are progressing within their courses and earning ‘ good degrees ’ at high rates , the data available about male students indicates that the specific progression and degree outcomes of white , male students from low participation postcodes may not be as favourable as the averages stated in the University of Portsmouth Equality and Diversity report for white students from low participation neighbourhoods in general .
Examination of data from both universities taking in part in the research suggests that an intersectional understanding of educational experiences and outcomes is necessary to address the inequalities faced by working class white young men . As Strand ( 2014 , p . 164 ) made clear within his research on white working class educational achievement : “ Interpretations of educational success and failure based exclusively on social class , ethnicity or gender do not explain the complexity in the data ”. This recognition of the impact of multi-faceted identities and diverse life experiences on students ’ educational experiences is echoed in Stahl ’ s research on white working class male students in education ( 2015 , p . 87 ):
Learner identities are regulated through many overlapping and competing fields that lend considerable weight to the intertwined relationship between social class , aspiration and neoliberalism . How these young men perceive the structures of social inequality remains an important access point for understanding why they engage or disengage with their education .
The intersections of identity categories have complex impacts upon higher education entry , aspirations , and participation of working class white young men .
5 . Pre-entry findings
5.1 Attitudes to learning
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Survey data suggests that the vast majority of male respondents hold positive attitudes to learning . Figure 24 below shows the percentage of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with a range of statements . Respondents overall were most likely to agree that it was good to be seen as hardworking at school / college but least likely to agree that they worked hard in their current studies . Differences between learners from high and low POLAR3 groups do emerge . Those in the lowest quintiles gave more positive responses to all statements . The biggest difference is observable in the percentage of learners saying they were keen to learn new or different things , with 100 % of learners from POLAR3 quintiles 1 and 2 agreeing with this statement ( 15 percentage points higher than POLAR3 quintiles 3-5 ). The pattern of responses