O'Shea, Sarah

Top Publications

Year	Title
2021	'.having people that will help you, that know the ropes and have walked that road before you': How does first in family status impact graduates in the employment field? Published in Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability
2021	The implications of COVID-19 for student equity in Australian higher education Published in Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
2021	Vulnerable learners in the age of COVID-19: A scoping review Published in Australian Educational Researcher
2020	Crossing boundaries: rethinking the ways that first-in-family students navigate ‘barriers’ to higher education Published in British Journal of Sociology of Education
2019	Older, online and first: Recommendations for retention and success Published in Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
2018	Getting through the day and still having a smile on my face! How do students define success in the university learning environment? Published in Higher Education Research and Development
2017	First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life: Motivations, Transitions and Participation
2017	Lessons from the AIME approach to the teaching relationship: valuing biepistemic practice Published in Pedagogy Culture and Society
2017	The Politics of widening participation and University access for young people: making educational futures
2016	Avoiding the manufacture of ‘sameness’: first-in-family students, cultural capital and the higher education environment Published in Higher Education
2016	Discourses of betterment and opportunity: Exploring the privileging of university attendance for first-in-family learners Published in Studies in Higher Education
2016	First-in-family learners and higher education: Negotiating the ‘silences’ of university transition and participation Published in Higher Education Research and Development
2016	Navigating the knowledge sets of older learners: Exploring the capitals of first-infamily mature age students Published in Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
2016	Shifting the blame in higher education – social inclusion and deficit discourses Published in Higher Education Research and Development
2016	‘We are history in the making and we are walking together to change things for the better’: Exploring the flows and ripples of learning in a mentoring program for Indigenous young people Published in Education as Change

Research Areas

Research Overview

Dr Sarah O’Shea is a Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Education, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities a position she holds alongside her role as Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. Sarah has nearly 30 years experience teaching in universities as well as the VET and Adult Education sector, she has also published widely on issues related to educational access and equity.She has co-authored over 80 scholarly publications - this work has also featured in The Conversation, University World News, Campus Review and The Australian. Currently (2021), her Google Scholar profile lists more than 1700 citations with a h-index of 26, her current SCOPUS h-index is 13.

Since 2009, Sarah has obtained over $3.8 million dollars in research funding, all of which explores educational equity in the HE environment. In 2016, Sarah was awarded an ARC Discovery project exploring the persistence and retention of university students across Australia, UK and Ireland. This international study builds upon an Australian Government Teaching and Learning Fellowship (2015-2016) and consolidates a decade of work in the student retention field (www.firstinfamily.com.au) which has focussed on students from a diversity of backgrounds. This includes a five-year partnership with AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) which has involved over $520,000 in national funding (ARC: $211,000; Federal Gov: $310,000) and included research activities across Australia with Indigenous young people , university mentors as well as key staff and stakeholders. A recent national study (2018) explored the movement of regional and rural students from their communities into university, the Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university project was funded by the National Centre of Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) and is a collaboration between UOW (Lead), UON and UNSW. In 2019, Sarah took up a Research Fellowship with the NCSEHE to explore the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree.

During her career, Sarah has also received numerous awards for teaching excellence including a national Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2012), her work has been recognised as one of UOW 40 Research Impacts and in 2016 she was recognised as one of UOW's Women of Impact. Sarah is also an Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, in 2017 she was both recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (AdvanceUK) and awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to engage in study internationally, details of the fellowship are here.

Geographic Focus

Australia Continent
Ireland Country
United Kingdom Country

Available for Collaborative Projects

Head Of

Australian Learning and Teaching Fellows Commitee Member 2017 -

Member Of

Centre for Higher Education Research, Innovation and Impact (CHERII), Faculty of Social Sciences Research Group Member 2018 -
HERDSA Member 1998 -

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Year	Title
2022	‘I don’t understand it’: first in family graduates recognising and mobilising capitals for employment Published In Journal of Education and Work
2021	'.having people that will help you, that know the ropes and have walked that road before you': How does first in family status impact graduates in the employment field? Published In Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability
2021	Higher education access, participation and progression: Inequalities of opportunity Published In European Journal of Education
2021	The implications of COVID-19 for student equity in Australian higher education Published In Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
2021	Vulnerable learners in the age of COVID-19: A scoping review Published In Australian Educational Researcher
2021	‘One student might get one opportunity and then the next student won’t get anything like that’: Inequities in Australian career education and recommendations for a fairer future Published In Australian Educational Researcher
2021	“Kids from here don't go to uni”: Considering first in family students' belonging and entitlement within the field of higher education in Australia Published In European Journal of Education
2020	Crossing boundaries: rethinking the ways that first-in-family students navigate ‘barriers’ to higher education Published In British Journal of Sociology of Education
2020	‘Don’t let anyone bring me down again’: applying ‘possible selves’ to understanding persistence of mature-age first-in-family students Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2019	Learning to ‘be’ a university student: First in family students negotiating membership of the university community Published In International Journal of Educational Research
2019	My children... think it's cool that mum is a uni student: Women with caring responsibilities studying online Published In Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
2019	Older, online and first: Recommendations for retention and success Published In Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
2019	‘I’m happy, and I’m passing. That’s all that matters!’: exploring discourses of university academic success through linguistic analysis Published In Language and Education
2019	‘Learning to leave’ or ‘striving to stay’: Considering the desires and decisions of rural young people in relation to post-schooling futures Published In Emotion, Space and Society
2018	Getting through the day and still having a smile on my face! How do students define success in the university learning environment? Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2017	Australia’s supervising teachers: Motivators and Challenges to Inform Professional Learning Published In Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education
2017	Engaging 'students as partners' in the design and development of a peer-mentoring program Published In The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education
2017	Lessons from the AIME approach to the teaching relationship: valuing biepistemic practice Published In Pedagogy Culture and Society
2016	Avoiding the manufacture of ‘sameness’: first-in-family students, cultural capital and the higher education environment Published In Higher Education
2016	Discourses of betterment and opportunity: Exploring the privileging of university attendance for first-in-family learners Published In Studies in Higher Education
2016	First-in-family learners and higher education: Negotiating the ‘silences’ of university transition and participation Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2016	Navigating the knowledge sets of older learners: Exploring the capitals of first-infamily mature age students Published In Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
2016	Opportunity through online learning: Experiences of first-in-family students in online open-entry higher education Published In Australian Journal of Adult Learning
2016	Seeking the Passionate Career: First-in-Family Enabling Students and the Idea of the Australian University Published In Higher Education Quarterly
2016	Shifting the blame in higher education – social inclusion and deficit discourses Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2016	Supporting and engaging students who are the first in their families to attend university: A practise paper Published In AISHE-J: The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
2016	‘We are history in the making and we are walking together to change things for the better’: Exploring the flows and ripples of learning in a mentoring program for Indigenous young people Published In Education as Change
2015	Arriving, surviving, and succeeding: first-in-family women and their experiences of transitioning into the first year of university Published In Journal of College Student Development
2015	Filling up silences-first in family students, capital and university talk in the home Published In International Journal of Lifelong Education
2015	Getting students into uni is one thing, but how to keep them there? Published In The Conversation
2015	Recognising aspiration: The AIME program's effectiveness in inspiring Indigenous young people's participation in schooling and opportunities for further education and employment Published In The Australian Educational Researcher
2015	Why first-in-family uni students should receive more support Published In The Conversation
2015	“I generally say I am a mum first . . . but I’m studying at uni”: The narratives of first-in-family, female caregivers transitioning into an Australian university Published In Journal of Diversity in Higher Education
2015	“I ‘feel’ like I am at university even though I am online.” Exploring how students narrate their engagement with higher education institutions in an online learning environment Published In Distance Education
2014	The hero's journey: stories of women returning to education Published In The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education
2014	Transitions and turning points: How first in female students story their transition to university and student identity formation Published In International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
2013	Connection, challenge, and change: the narratives of university students mentoring young Indigenous Australians Published In Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning
2013	Precarious education and the university: navigating the silenced borders of participation Published In The International Journal on School Disaffection
2013	Time, money, leisure and guilt - the gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students Published In Australian Journal of Adult Learning
2012	Stepping into higher education from the vocational education sector in Australia: Student perceptions and experiences Published In Journal of Vocational Education and Training
2012	UStart: a peer–designed and led orientation initiative Published In eSource for College Transitions
2011	Nomads in diaspora space: exploring women's indentity work in the university Published In Studies in the Education of Adults
2011	The secret of excellence in student services - a case example of cross-institution collaboration and cooperation Published In Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association
2011	Transformations and self-discovery: mature-age women’s reflections on returning to university study. Published In Studies in Continuing Education
2011	Uni-Start: A peer-led orientation activity designed for the early and timely engagement of commencing university students Published In Journal of Continuing Higher Education
2007	Well I got here ... but what happens next? Exploring the early narratives of first year female students who are the first in the family to attend university Published In Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association

Book

Year	Title
2021	Reimagining the higher education student: Constructing and contesting identities Publisher Routledge
2017	First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life: Motivations, Transitions and Participation Publisher United Kingdom
2017	The Politics of widening participation and University access for young people: making educational futures
2012	Transformations and self discovery: Stories of women returning to education

Chapter

Year	Title
2022	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Nature
2022	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Nature Singapore
2022	Negotiating embodied aspirations: Exploring the emotional labour of higher education persistence for female caregivers Published In Student Carers in Higher Education: Navigating, Resisting, and Re-inventing Academic Cultures Publisher Routledge
2021	Conclusion Published In Reimagining the Higher Education Student: Constructing and Contesting Identities Publisher Routledge
2021	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Nature
2021	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Singapore
2021	Reimagining the higher education student: An introduction Published In Reimagining the Higher Education Student: Constructing and Contesting Identities Publisher Routledge
2021	Why Does Student Retention and Success Matter? Published In Student Retention and Success in Higher Education Publisher Springer International Publishing
2021	Why Does Student Retention and Success Matter? Published In Student Retention and Success in Higher Education Publisher Springer Nature
2019	“That working class ethic … where there’s a will there’s a way”: A strengths-based approach to developing employable scholars Published In Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability as Scholarship Publisher Cham, Switzerland
2018	Considering the Cultural Strengths of Older First Generation University Students: An Australian Perspective Published In Understanding Experiences of First Generation University Students: Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Methodologies Publisher London, United Kindgom
2017	Beyond the widening participation agenda - toward ecologies of learning Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Concluding Thoughts Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Concluding Thoughts Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Disrupting the Deficit: Beyond Notions of Lack for First-in-Family Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Disrupting the Deficit: Beyond Notions of Lack for First-in-Family Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Educational futures Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Feeling different Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Method assemblages and methodology Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Motivated Men: First-in-Family Male Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Motivated Men: First-in-Family Male Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Orientations, pathways and futures Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Parents Managing University and Family Life Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Parents Managing University and Family Life Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Precarious education and assemblages of disadvantage Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Recommendations for widening participation Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Reorganizing images Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	The Lack of What …?: First-in-Family Learners and Their University Experience Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	The Lack of What …?: First-in-Family Learners and Their University Experience Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	The Online Student Experience: New Challenges for Engagement and Support Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	The Online Student Experience: New Challenges for Engagement and Support Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	The embodied imagination and capacities to act Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Trailblazing: Motivations and Relationship Impacts for First-in-Family Enabling Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Trailblazing: Motivations and Relationship Impacts for First-in-Family Enabling Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	What Am I Waiting For? Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	What Am I Waiting For? Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	‘So How Was Big School Today?’ Family Perceptions of HE Participation Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	‘So How Was Big School Today?’ Family Perceptions of HE Participation Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2014	AIME and the University of Wollongong: The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience Published In Partnerships in Higher Education: Make Tomorrow Better Publisher Perth, Australia
2014	Diverse learners Published In Teaching in the VET Sector in Australia
2009	Uni-Start: student led "Transition to Study" workshops Published In International perspectives on the first-year in higher education

Conference Paper

Year	Title
2016	Navigating the knowledge sets of older learners: Exploring the concept of experiential capital amongst first-in-family mature age students Published In HE: Transforming lives through life-wide learning?
2015	'University wasn’t spoken about at home, it was just assumed that we would start working…': first-in-family students, family capital and higher education participation Published In Collaborate to widen participation: To, through and beyond higher education
2014	Breaking the barriers: supporting and engaging mature age first-infamily university learners and their families Published In 17th International FYHE Conference 2014
2014	Exploring the participation of first in family students in university with particular reference to how this impacts upon intergenerational choices around, and perceptions of, Higher Education Published In FACE 2014 Conference Abstract Booklet
2014	Ripples of learning: higher education participation, familial habitus, gender and first in family female students Published In Gender and Education in the Asia Pacific: Possibilities and Provocations
2010	From ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘Bachelor Boy’ and beyond: Bridging the gap between expectations and reality for first year students Published In Pacific Rim First Year in Higher Education Conference
2009	Hearing the student voice - examining the processes of transition, persistence and engagement for a group of first year, first in family university students Published In 12th Biennial CSSI Confederation: 'The First Year Experience'
2009	Peer transition programs: Run by students for students Published In 12th Pacific Rim First Year in Higher Education Conference
2007	From the web to writing: the role of collaboration in providing first year university students with the skills to succeed Published In From the web to writing: the role of collaboration in providing first year university students with the skills to succeed

Other Publications

Year	Title
2019	Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university

Investigator On

Year	Title
2020 - 2021	Re-inventing the 'gap year': Establishing new forms of supportive communications between universities, regional students and parents Awarded by: NSW Department of Education and Training Funding Scheme: Regional Transitions to University Grant
2020	Higher education careers advice for low SES students, including low SES Indigenous students and low SES regional, rural and remote students Awarded by: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Funding Scheme: Competitive Research Grants
2020	National Career Development Learning Hub for students with disability Awarded by: NSW Department of Industry Funding Scheme: National Careers Institute Partnership Grant
2015	Engaging families to engage students: exploring how university outreach activities can forge productive partnerships with families to assist first in family students navigate their higher education journey Awarded by: Office for Learning and Teaching Funding Scheme: Teaching Fellowship
2013 - 2015	Breaking the barriers: supporting and engaging mature age first-in-family university learners and their families Awarded by: Office for Learning and Teaching Funding Scheme: Seed Projects
2014	Mentoring and Indigenous Higher Education: Understanding how university students mentor Indigenous school students Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
	'Mind the Gap!' Exploring the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree. Awarded by: Curtin University Funding Scheme: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
	Capitals and Capabilities: Rethinking higher education persistence Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
	Informing key influencers of low SES regional, rural and remote students' education and career pathway choices: a whole community approach Awarded by: Curtin University Funding Scheme: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
	Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university Awarded by: Curtin University Funding Scheme: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
	Success and Failure in Higher Education on uneven playing fields Awarded by: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Funding Scheme: 2017 Research Grants
	Success from the Perspective of the Successful: Low SES Students, Success and Completion in Higher Education Awarded by: Department of Education and Training Funding Scheme: Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program

Other Research Activities

Impact Story

Higher Education Access for All: Exploring Education Equity within the Tertiary Sector
Summary
Departing from university has long-term economic and social impacts (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282148241_Avoiding_the_manufacture_of_'sameness'_first-in-family_students_cultural_capital_and_the_higher_education_environment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016a</a>) yet students from diverse backgrounds often describe this environment in terms of alienation and isolation (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137582836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea et al., 2017)</a>. Entering university has been characterised, as similar to entering a foreign or unfamiliar country, so a feeling of disconnection is not surprising (<a href="http://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-3/5-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016b</a>). For students who do not have a family tradition of attending university then this situation may result in feeling like ‘imposters’, which can inevitably lead to thoughts of departure (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/social-science-matters/o-shea-on-situating-university-students-at-the-centre-of-access" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2017</a>). To address this issue, this research has not only contributed to scholarly research but also provided resources targeted at the parents and family members of students. This empirically validated material ‘unpacks’ the university environment and provides advice in an accessible way - please see the research website <a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" title="HE ACCESS FOR ALL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>The impact of this research spans the domains of students, parents, and communities as well as engaging with key educational stakeholders including government policy makers. The research has informed a national Government review on Improving Completion, Retention and Success in Higher Education (HESP, 2017) and findings have been applied to equity practices and understandings across the Australian educational sector. The affiliated website (<a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://heaccessforall.com</a>) and blog (<a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog</a>) has an engaged global audience and regularly receives unsolicited feedback from both commencing university students and their family members. This research has featured in a range of media outlets including radio, television and print mediums, all of which foreground how students from diverse backgrounds can access and participate in higher education successfully. Research Focus This research is focussed on improving educational outcomes for all university students but particularly those who are at risk of dropping out of their studies. To achieve this goal, the research has foregrounded student voices, with an emphasis on the ‘lived experience’ of considering and engaging in higher education. Since 2014, over 650 students and family members from diverse walks of life have been interviewed or surveyed, these narratives providing genuine and rich insight into the realities of university participation. This rich data set has underpinned 1) numerous student interventions targeted at students at all stages of their studies, 2) a range of resources designed to assist students and their families in this educational journey and 3) engagement with stakeholders in the school, vocational and higher education contexts in order to embed new approaches to supporting and retaining diverse student cohorts.

Detail View

Detail View Summary View
Detail of Impact
Overview of Impact At the heart of the impact of this research are university students themselves as this research has worked systematically to inform university approaches to supporting learners to stay at university. With the dramatic growth in student numbers and diversity, the importance of making sure universities and schools are adequately preparing and support ALL cohorts is imperative. The research though has had broader impact on the family and community of students, as well as equity and outreach practitioners across the sector; attracting attention at both national and international levels.For many students, university is an unfamiliar setting with many individuals from more diverse backgrounds often feeling little belonging within this learning environment. This research has shown how students describe entering university as similar to entering a foreign or unfamiliar country, so a feeling of disconnection is not surprising (<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-015-9938-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016</a>). This research adopts a 'strengths - based' focus which involves working closely with students and significant others to explore first hand the experiences of moving into university and the types of challenges that students encounter. The work has included <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/grants/2017-funding-round/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">students from rural / remote areas</a>, <a href="https://aimeresearchpartnership.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students</a>; <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282322274_Transformations_and_Self_Discovery_Stories_of_women_returning_to_education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">older students</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241734549_Stepping_into_higher_education_from_the_vocational_education_sector_in_Australia_student_perceptions_and_experiences" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those who have transitioned from the VET sector </a>and <a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those from low socio-economic backgrounds. </a> Impact at a community level This work has led to the development of resources to assist in ‘unpacking’ the university environment and providing advice in an accessible way. With colleagues (Stone, May & Delahunty), the first Australian open access <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website </a>targeted at first in family students and those closest to them has been created, the website is designed to provide support to prospective and new students as well as advice to family members.The site is replete with 'student voice' which informed both the resources available and also, the look and feel of the content. This deep engagement with personal narratives has resonated with a diversity of end users, encapsulated by a recent review in Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) journal: The stories are authentic and tell of each students’ journey…Nona’s story resonates with those who are migrants. When I read her story it reminded me of my late grandmother who did not complete primary education but had an insight into what she could do to support me. (Wolfgramm-Foliaki, 2017).The site has been nominated as an exemplar of Best Practice in Student Support (Australian & New Zealand Student Services Association, 2015) but more importantly has prompted unsolicited email feedback from students: 'This site [is] empowering me to achieve my goal of study that [I] am doing at the moment'. (Email Feedback)Having conducted research with the family of learners, <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/OLT-2.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a number of resources and online quizzes</a> have been designed to assist in this transition to university, these resources have also provided useful for school careers counsellors:The research was great - I would like to know how schools and unis can dovetail to make the transition more smooth.Very interesting in terms of motivational factors and stressors on our students (Feedback from Schools Careers Masterclass) Impact and engagement at a national level Drawing upon a diversity of media has allowed this work to have a broader national reach. Platforms have included a <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog/" title="FiF Blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dedicated blog</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Uni_FiF?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twitter feed </a>and also <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog/newsletters/newsletter-1_apr-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online newsletters</a> which have been complemented by TV features, radio interviews and also articles that seek to provide assistance to those commencing university and also those contemplating attending. For example, <a href="http://www.uow.edu.au/unispeak/UOW214419.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.uow.edu.au/unispeak/UOW214419.html</a> and <a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3983371/feduni-forum-for-the-first-in-families/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3983371/feduni-forum-for-the-first-in-families/</a> or<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/first-generation-university-students-facing-different-challenges/8380904" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/first-generation-university-students-facing-different-challenges/8380904</a>This research has informed workshops and seminars on student engagement and retention presented to over 500 staff across 15 university sites in all states of Australia (except NT). These empirically informed workshops focus on supporting and engaging commencing and first year students who are intersected by various equity categorisations. This work has provided the basis for changes in thinking and approaches: 239 participants completed workshop evaluations with some 86% indicating that they were likely or most likely to apply ideas derived from the workshop to their professional context and 96% of participants indicating that attendance had contributed to their knowledge base. Workshops have been complemented by two national conferences (2015 and 2016), which attracted over 200 stakeholders from across the education and community sectors in Australia with representation from universities, TAFEs, NFP organisations and schools. Feedback from both forums has similarly indicated how findings from this research are immediately applicable: “When updating the staff on your presentation we decided to put our enthusiasm for the cohort into action in Session 2 and are currently putting together plans to congratulate First in Family students who commence study with SCU in Session 2 and perhaps conduct a Welcome Call to them from a fellow ‘First in Family’ student” (Southern Cross University) I work with the Residential students at UC so I will be using this workshop to begin a new program for new students who may be FiF (University of Canberra workshop)The research underpinned the development of the Overarching Principles and Strategies For Supporting First-in-family Students and their Families, published online and presented (by invitation) to the Department of Education at the national Improving Student Success seminar (<a href="https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/200505/451751/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universities Australia Conference,</a> March 2017). Finally, the research has also contributed to knowledge about student retention and engagement at a national policy level, with the latest <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/news/release-higher-education-standards-panel-s-discussion-paper-improving-completion-retention-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Government Discussion Paper on Student Attrition and Retention </a>(Higher Education Standards Panel, 2017) cites this research to evidence the need for new equity definitions of students (p45). <a href="https://video214.com/play/TWTKaaZXAJuSqzDtEzXeTQ/s/dark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recommendations from this work</a> have been used to inform changes to sector-wide approaches to retaining students from equity groups. Impact at an international level The research has attracted emerging attention internationally resulting in invitations to<a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/education/cheer/events/criticalperspectives" title="KEYNOTE" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> present internationally,</a><a href="https://www.srhe.ac.uk/events/details.asp?eid=235" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> </a> book publications and a Churchill Fellowship to enable visits to the UK, Canada and the US to study best practise for engaging students from equity backgrounds - report available <a href="https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellows/detail/4281/Sarah+O%27Shea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here </a> 
Field of Research
Countries / Regions
Beneficiaries

Beneficiary Quantification Description
External Partners
Evidence of Impact

Evidence Description
UOW Centres / Programs
UOW Researchers / Collaborators

Teaching Activities

Adult, Vocational and Higher Education Postgraduate Programs Strand Coordinator and Course Coordinator 2010 -

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Degree	Research Title	Advisee
Doctor of Philosophy	Partnerships in learning: Building a framework for collaboration	Austin, Kylie
Doctor of Education	Crossing the Threshold: What are the Experiences of Male Learners Transitioning into Higher Education from an Enabling Course?	McNamara, Jacinta
Doctor of Philosophy	Psychological barriers to participation in higher education	Parkinson, Bradley

Outreach Overview

I am seeking to effect change within the higher education sector through research that focuses on the access and participation of students from identified equity groups. My institutional and nationally funded research studies advance understanding of how under-represented student cohorts enact success within university, navigate transition into this environment, manage competing identities and negotiate aspirations for self and others. My work is highly regarded for applying diverse conceptual and theoretical lenses to tertiary participation, which incorporate theories of social class, identity work, gender studies and poverty.

To this end I have worked across the sector implementing outreach activities and play an active role in community roles in this regard, these activities have been summarised below:

UStart@UOW: I initiated an orientation program for low SES students whilst at University of Newcastle and in partnership with the Dean of Students offered this at University of Wollongong across four faculties (Faculty of Education, Law, Science and Arts) in 2011 and then university-wide. I delivered training for all the student facilitators and also coordinated this program within Faculty of Education. I was also involved in introducing a similar program at Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) called IStart@Woolyungah and a program targeted at parents called UStart2@UOW

Board Member, Kiama Community College: I have volunteered as a Board Director for the Kiama and Shoalhaven Community Colleges since 2011. In this role, I assist in guiding the strategic direction of the Community College but also provide advice in regard to outreach programs

I have participated in a number of reviews concerning UOW's outreach programs (In2Uni) and published reports on both reviews:

O’Shea, S., Harwood, V., Howard, S., Cliff, K., & Delahunty, J (2016). Final Report: Investigating the effectiveness of the In2Uni Year 12 University Preparation Program (UPP).

Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Howard, S. & Cliff, K (2014). Final Report: Evaluation of the In2Uni Program. Available from: http://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/2299/

I have worked with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) in both research projects and also consultation roles reviewing the impact of the program on Indigenous young people, details of this work follow:

2013-2016 Part of the research team that is conducting a 3-year evaluation that will evaluate the viability of the expansion of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. Department of Education and Training ($200,000)

2012-2013 Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Clapham, K., Bodkin-Andrews, G., Wright, J., Kervin, L., & McMahon, S. (2013) Evaluation of the AIME Outreach Program, DEEWR and University of Wollongong: Australia. ($110,000)

2013-2016 Harwood, V., Chandler, P., & O’Shea, S. Mentoring and Indigenous higher education: Understanding how university students mentor Indigenous school students. Australian Research Council Discovery Project. ($211,000)

Orcid Id

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8988-6674 (confirmed)

Scopus Id

44261297600

Top Publications

Year	Title
2021	'.having people that will help you, that know the ropes and have walked that road before you': How does first in family status impact graduates in the employment field? Published in Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability
2021	The implications of COVID-19 for student equity in Australian higher education Published in Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
2021	Vulnerable learners in the age of COVID-19: A scoping review Published in Australian Educational Researcher
2020	Crossing boundaries: rethinking the ways that first-in-family students navigate ‘barriers’ to higher education Published in British Journal of Sociology of Education
2019	Older, online and first: Recommendations for retention and success Published in Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
2018	Getting through the day and still having a smile on my face! How do students define success in the university learning environment? Published in Higher Education Research and Development
2017	First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life: Motivations, Transitions and Participation
2017	Lessons from the AIME approach to the teaching relationship: valuing biepistemic practice Published in Pedagogy Culture and Society
2017	The Politics of widening participation and University access for young people: making educational futures
2016	Avoiding the manufacture of ‘sameness’: first-in-family students, cultural capital and the higher education environment Published in Higher Education
2016	Discourses of betterment and opportunity: Exploring the privileging of university attendance for first-in-family learners Published in Studies in Higher Education
2016	First-in-family learners and higher education: Negotiating the ‘silences’ of university transition and participation Published in Higher Education Research and Development
2016	Navigating the knowledge sets of older learners: Exploring the capitals of first-infamily mature age students Published in Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
2016	Shifting the blame in higher education – social inclusion and deficit discourses Published in Higher Education Research and Development
2016	‘We are history in the making and we are walking together to change things for the better’: Exploring the flows and ripples of learning in a mentoring program for Indigenous young people Published in Education as Change

Research Areas

Research Overview

Dr Sarah O’Shea is a Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Education, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities a position she holds alongside her role as Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. Sarah has nearly 30 years experience teaching in universities as well as the VET and Adult Education sector, she has also published widely on issues related to educational access and equity.She has co-authored over 80 scholarly publications - this work has also featured in The Conversation, University World News, Campus Review and The Australian. Currently (2021), her Google Scholar profile lists more than 1700 citations with a h-index of 26, her current SCOPUS h-index is 13.

Since 2009, Sarah has obtained over $3.8 million dollars in research funding, all of which explores educational equity in the HE environment. In 2016, Sarah was awarded an ARC Discovery project exploring the persistence and retention of university students across Australia, UK and Ireland. This international study builds upon an Australian Government Teaching and Learning Fellowship (2015-2016) and consolidates a decade of work in the student retention field (www.firstinfamily.com.au) which has focussed on students from a diversity of backgrounds. This includes a five-year partnership with AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) which has involved over $520,000 in national funding (ARC: $211,000; Federal Gov: $310,000) and included research activities across Australia with Indigenous young people , university mentors as well as key staff and stakeholders. A recent national study (2018) explored the movement of regional and rural students from their communities into university, the Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university project was funded by the National Centre of Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) and is a collaboration between UOW (Lead), UON and UNSW. In 2019, Sarah took up a Research Fellowship with the NCSEHE to explore the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree.

During her career, Sarah has also received numerous awards for teaching excellence including a national Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2012), her work has been recognised as one of UOW 40 Research Impacts and in 2016 she was recognised as one of UOW's Women of Impact. Sarah is also an Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, in 2017 she was both recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (AdvanceUK) and awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to engage in study internationally, details of the fellowship are here.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Year	Title
2022	‘I don’t understand it’: first in family graduates recognising and mobilising capitals for employment Published In Journal of Education and Work
2021	'.having people that will help you, that know the ropes and have walked that road before you': How does first in family status impact graduates in the employment field? Published In Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability
2021	Higher education access, participation and progression: Inequalities of opportunity Published In European Journal of Education
2021	The implications of COVID-19 for student equity in Australian higher education Published In Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
2021	Vulnerable learners in the age of COVID-19: A scoping review Published In Australian Educational Researcher
2021	‘One student might get one opportunity and then the next student won’t get anything like that’: Inequities in Australian career education and recommendations for a fairer future Published In Australian Educational Researcher
2021	“Kids from here don't go to uni”: Considering first in family students' belonging and entitlement within the field of higher education in Australia Published In European Journal of Education
2020	Crossing boundaries: rethinking the ways that first-in-family students navigate ‘barriers’ to higher education Published In British Journal of Sociology of Education
2020	‘Don’t let anyone bring me down again’: applying ‘possible selves’ to understanding persistence of mature-age first-in-family students Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2019	Learning to ‘be’ a university student: First in family students negotiating membership of the university community Published In International Journal of Educational Research
2019	My children... think it's cool that mum is a uni student: Women with caring responsibilities studying online Published In Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
2019	Older, online and first: Recommendations for retention and success Published In Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
2019	‘I’m happy, and I’m passing. That’s all that matters!’: exploring discourses of university academic success through linguistic analysis Published In Language and Education
2019	‘Learning to leave’ or ‘striving to stay’: Considering the desires and decisions of rural young people in relation to post-schooling futures Published In Emotion, Space and Society
2018	Getting through the day and still having a smile on my face! How do students define success in the university learning environment? Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2017	Australia’s supervising teachers: Motivators and Challenges to Inform Professional Learning Published In Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education
2017	Engaging 'students as partners' in the design and development of a peer-mentoring program Published In The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education
2017	Lessons from the AIME approach to the teaching relationship: valuing biepistemic practice Published In Pedagogy Culture and Society
2016	Avoiding the manufacture of ‘sameness’: first-in-family students, cultural capital and the higher education environment Published In Higher Education
2016	Discourses of betterment and opportunity: Exploring the privileging of university attendance for first-in-family learners Published In Studies in Higher Education
2016	First-in-family learners and higher education: Negotiating the ‘silences’ of university transition and participation Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2016	Navigating the knowledge sets of older learners: Exploring the capitals of first-infamily mature age students Published In Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
2016	Opportunity through online learning: Experiences of first-in-family students in online open-entry higher education Published In Australian Journal of Adult Learning
2016	Seeking the Passionate Career: First-in-Family Enabling Students and the Idea of the Australian University Published In Higher Education Quarterly
2016	Shifting the blame in higher education – social inclusion and deficit discourses Published In Higher Education Research and Development
2016	Supporting and engaging students who are the first in their families to attend university: A practise paper Published In AISHE-J: The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
2016	‘We are history in the making and we are walking together to change things for the better’: Exploring the flows and ripples of learning in a mentoring program for Indigenous young people Published In Education as Change
2015	Arriving, surviving, and succeeding: first-in-family women and their experiences of transitioning into the first year of university Published In Journal of College Student Development
2015	Filling up silences-first in family students, capital and university talk in the home Published In International Journal of Lifelong Education
2015	Getting students into uni is one thing, but how to keep them there? Published In The Conversation
2015	Recognising aspiration: The AIME program's effectiveness in inspiring Indigenous young people's participation in schooling and opportunities for further education and employment Published In The Australian Educational Researcher
2015	Why first-in-family uni students should receive more support Published In The Conversation
2015	“I generally say I am a mum first . . . but I’m studying at uni”: The narratives of first-in-family, female caregivers transitioning into an Australian university Published In Journal of Diversity in Higher Education
2015	“I ‘feel’ like I am at university even though I am online.” Exploring how students narrate their engagement with higher education institutions in an online learning environment Published In Distance Education
2014	The hero's journey: stories of women returning to education Published In The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education
2014	Transitions and turning points: How first in female students story their transition to university and student identity formation Published In International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
2013	Connection, challenge, and change: the narratives of university students mentoring young Indigenous Australians Published In Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning
2013	Precarious education and the university: navigating the silenced borders of participation Published In The International Journal on School Disaffection
2013	Time, money, leisure and guilt - the gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students Published In Australian Journal of Adult Learning
2012	Stepping into higher education from the vocational education sector in Australia: Student perceptions and experiences Published In Journal of Vocational Education and Training
2012	UStart: a peer–designed and led orientation initiative Published In eSource for College Transitions
2011	Nomads in diaspora space: exploring women's indentity work in the university Published In Studies in the Education of Adults
2011	The secret of excellence in student services - a case example of cross-institution collaboration and cooperation Published In Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association
2011	Transformations and self-discovery: mature-age women’s reflections on returning to university study. Published In Studies in Continuing Education
2011	Uni-Start: A peer-led orientation activity designed for the early and timely engagement of commencing university students Published In Journal of Continuing Higher Education
2007	Well I got here ... but what happens next? Exploring the early narratives of first year female students who are the first in the family to attend university Published In Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association

Book

Year	Title
2021	Reimagining the higher education student: Constructing and contesting identities Publisher Routledge
2017	First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life: Motivations, Transitions and Participation Publisher United Kingdom
2017	The Politics of widening participation and University access for young people: making educational futures
2012	Transformations and self discovery: Stories of women returning to education

Chapter

Year	Title
2022	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Nature
2022	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Nature Singapore
2022	Negotiating embodied aspirations: Exploring the emotional labour of higher education persistence for female caregivers Published In Student Carers in Higher Education: Navigating, Resisting, and Re-inventing Academic Cultures Publisher Routledge
2021	Conclusion Published In Reimagining the Higher Education Student: Constructing and Contesting Identities Publisher Routledge
2021	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Nature
2021	Creating Collaborative Spaces: Applying a “Students as Partner” Approach to University Peer Mentoring Programs Published In Student Support Services Publisher Springer Singapore
2021	Reimagining the higher education student: An introduction Published In Reimagining the Higher Education Student: Constructing and Contesting Identities Publisher Routledge
2021	Why Does Student Retention and Success Matter? Published In Student Retention and Success in Higher Education Publisher Springer International Publishing
2021	Why Does Student Retention and Success Matter? Published In Student Retention and Success in Higher Education Publisher Springer Nature
2019	“That working class ethic … where there’s a will there’s a way”: A strengths-based approach to developing employable scholars Published In Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability as Scholarship Publisher Cham, Switzerland
2018	Considering the Cultural Strengths of Older First Generation University Students: An Australian Perspective Published In Understanding Experiences of First Generation University Students: Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Methodologies Publisher London, United Kindgom
2017	Beyond the widening participation agenda - toward ecologies of learning Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Concluding Thoughts Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Concluding Thoughts Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Disrupting the Deficit: Beyond Notions of Lack for First-in-Family Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Disrupting the Deficit: Beyond Notions of Lack for First-in-Family Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Educational futures Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Feeling different Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Method assemblages and methodology Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Motivated Men: First-in-Family Male Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Motivated Men: First-in-Family Male Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Orientations, pathways and futures Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Parents Managing University and Family Life Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Parents Managing University and Family Life Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	Precarious education and assemblages of disadvantage Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Recommendations for widening participation Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Reorganizing images Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	The Lack of What …?: First-in-Family Learners and Their University Experience Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	The Lack of What …?: First-in-Family Learners and Their University Experience Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	The Online Student Experience: New Challenges for Engagement and Support Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	The Online Student Experience: New Challenges for Engagement and Support Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	The embodied imagination and capacities to act Published In POLITICS OF WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: MAKING EDUCATIONAL FUTURES Publisher ROUTLEDGE
2017	Trailblazing: Motivations and Relationship Impacts for First-in-Family Enabling Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	Trailblazing: Motivations and Relationship Impacts for First-in-Family Enabling Students Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	What Am I Waiting For? Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	What Am I Waiting For? Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2017	‘So How Was Big School Today?’ Family Perceptions of HE Participation Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Palgrave Macmillan UK
2017	‘So How Was Big School Today?’ Family Perceptions of HE Participation Published In First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Publisher Springer Nature
2014	AIME and the University of Wollongong: The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience Published In Partnerships in Higher Education: Make Tomorrow Better Publisher Perth, Australia
2014	Diverse learners Published In Teaching in the VET Sector in Australia
2009	Uni-Start: student led "Transition to Study" workshops Published In International perspectives on the first-year in higher education

Conference Paper

Year	Title
2016	Navigating the knowledge sets of older learners: Exploring the concept of experiential capital amongst first-in-family mature age students Published In HE: Transforming lives through life-wide learning?
2015	'University wasn’t spoken about at home, it was just assumed that we would start working…': first-in-family students, family capital and higher education participation Published In Collaborate to widen participation: To, through and beyond higher education
2014	Breaking the barriers: supporting and engaging mature age first-infamily university learners and their families Published In 17th International FYHE Conference 2014
2014	Exploring the participation of first in family students in university with particular reference to how this impacts upon intergenerational choices around, and perceptions of, Higher Education Published In FACE 2014 Conference Abstract Booklet
2014	Ripples of learning: higher education participation, familial habitus, gender and first in family female students Published In Gender and Education in the Asia Pacific: Possibilities and Provocations
2010	From ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘Bachelor Boy’ and beyond: Bridging the gap between expectations and reality for first year students Published In Pacific Rim First Year in Higher Education Conference
2009	Hearing the student voice - examining the processes of transition, persistence and engagement for a group of first year, first in family university students Published In 12th Biennial CSSI Confederation: 'The First Year Experience'
2009	Peer transition programs: Run by students for students Published In 12th Pacific Rim First Year in Higher Education Conference
2007	From the web to writing: the role of collaboration in providing first year university students with the skills to succeed Published In From the web to writing: the role of collaboration in providing first year university students with the skills to succeed

Other Publications

Year	Title
2019	Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university

Investigator On

Year	Title
2020 - 2021	Re-inventing the 'gap year': Establishing new forms of supportive communications between universities, regional students and parents Awarded by: NSW Department of Education and Training Funding Scheme: Regional Transitions to University Grant
2020	Higher education careers advice for low SES students, including low SES Indigenous students and low SES regional, rural and remote students Awarded by: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Funding Scheme: Competitive Research Grants
2020	National Career Development Learning Hub for students with disability Awarded by: NSW Department of Industry Funding Scheme: National Careers Institute Partnership Grant
2015	Engaging families to engage students: exploring how university outreach activities can forge productive partnerships with families to assist first in family students navigate their higher education journey Awarded by: Office for Learning and Teaching Funding Scheme: Teaching Fellowship
2013 - 2015	Breaking the barriers: supporting and engaging mature age first-in-family university learners and their families Awarded by: Office for Learning and Teaching Funding Scheme: Seed Projects
2014	Mentoring and Indigenous Higher Education: Understanding how university students mentor Indigenous school students Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
	'Mind the Gap!' Exploring the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree. Awarded by: Curtin University Funding Scheme: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
	Capitals and Capabilities: Rethinking higher education persistence Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
	Informing key influencers of low SES regional, rural and remote students' education and career pathway choices: a whole community approach Awarded by: Curtin University Funding Scheme: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
	Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university Awarded by: Curtin University Funding Scheme: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
	Success and Failure in Higher Education on uneven playing fields Awarded by: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Funding Scheme: 2017 Research Grants
	Success from the Perspective of the Successful: Low SES Students, Success and Completion in Higher Education Awarded by: Department of Education and Training Funding Scheme: Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program

Other Research Activities

Impact Story

Higher Education Access for All: Exploring Education Equity within the Tertiary Sector
Summary
Departing from university has long-term economic and social impacts (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282148241_Avoiding_the_manufacture_of_'sameness'_first-in-family_students_cultural_capital_and_the_higher_education_environment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016a</a>) yet students from diverse backgrounds often describe this environment in terms of alienation and isolation (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137582836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea et al., 2017)</a>. Entering university has been characterised, as similar to entering a foreign or unfamiliar country, so a feeling of disconnection is not surprising (<a href="http://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-3/5-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016b</a>). For students who do not have a family tradition of attending university then this situation may result in feeling like ‘imposters’, which can inevitably lead to thoughts of departure (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/social-science-matters/o-shea-on-situating-university-students-at-the-centre-of-access" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2017</a>). To address this issue, this research has not only contributed to scholarly research but also provided resources targeted at the parents and family members of students. This empirically validated material ‘unpacks’ the university environment and provides advice in an accessible way - please see the research website <a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" title="HE ACCESS FOR ALL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>The impact of this research spans the domains of students, parents, and communities as well as engaging with key educational stakeholders including government policy makers. The research has informed a national Government review on Improving Completion, Retention and Success in Higher Education (HESP, 2017) and findings have been applied to equity practices and understandings across the Australian educational sector. The affiliated website (<a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://heaccessforall.com</a>) and blog (<a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog</a>) has an engaged global audience and regularly receives unsolicited feedback from both commencing university students and their family members. This research has featured in a range of media outlets including radio, television and print mediums, all of which foreground how students from diverse backgrounds can access and participate in higher education successfully. Research Focus This research is focussed on improving educational outcomes for all university students but particularly those who are at risk of dropping out of their studies. To achieve this goal, the research has foregrounded student voices, with an emphasis on the ‘lived experience’ of considering and engaging in higher education. Since 2014, over 650 students and family members from diverse walks of life have been interviewed or surveyed, these narratives providing genuine and rich insight into the realities of university participation. This rich data set has underpinned 1) numerous student interventions targeted at students at all stages of their studies, 2) a range of resources designed to assist students and their families in this educational journey and 3) engagement with stakeholders in the school, vocational and higher education contexts in order to embed new approaches to supporting and retaining diverse student cohorts.

Detail View

Detail View Summary View
Detail of Impact
Overview of Impact At the heart of the impact of this research are university students themselves as this research has worked systematically to inform university approaches to supporting learners to stay at university. With the dramatic growth in student numbers and diversity, the importance of making sure universities and schools are adequately preparing and support ALL cohorts is imperative. The research though has had broader impact on the family and community of students, as well as equity and outreach practitioners across the sector; attracting attention at both national and international levels.For many students, university is an unfamiliar setting with many individuals from more diverse backgrounds often feeling little belonging within this learning environment. This research has shown how students describe entering university as similar to entering a foreign or unfamiliar country, so a feeling of disconnection is not surprising (<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-015-9938-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016</a>). This research adopts a 'strengths - based' focus which involves working closely with students and significant others to explore first hand the experiences of moving into university and the types of challenges that students encounter. The work has included <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/grants/2017-funding-round/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">students from rural / remote areas</a>, <a href="https://aimeresearchpartnership.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students</a>; <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282322274_Transformations_and_Self_Discovery_Stories_of_women_returning_to_education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">older students</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241734549_Stepping_into_higher_education_from_the_vocational_education_sector_in_Australia_student_perceptions_and_experiences" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those who have transitioned from the VET sector </a>and <a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those from low socio-economic backgrounds. </a> Impact at a community level This work has led to the development of resources to assist in ‘unpacking’ the university environment and providing advice in an accessible way. With colleagues (Stone, May & Delahunty), the first Australian open access <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website </a>targeted at first in family students and those closest to them has been created, the website is designed to provide support to prospective and new students as well as advice to family members.The site is replete with 'student voice' which informed both the resources available and also, the look and feel of the content. This deep engagement with personal narratives has resonated with a diversity of end users, encapsulated by a recent review in Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) journal: The stories are authentic and tell of each students’ journey…Nona’s story resonates with those who are migrants. When I read her story it reminded me of my late grandmother who did not complete primary education but had an insight into what she could do to support me. (Wolfgramm-Foliaki, 2017).The site has been nominated as an exemplar of Best Practice in Student Support (Australian & New Zealand Student Services Association, 2015) but more importantly has prompted unsolicited email feedback from students: 'This site [is] empowering me to achieve my goal of study that [I] am doing at the moment'. (Email Feedback)Having conducted research with the family of learners, <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/OLT-2.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a number of resources and online quizzes</a> have been designed to assist in this transition to university, these resources have also provided useful for school careers counsellors:The research was great - I would like to know how schools and unis can dovetail to make the transition more smooth.Very interesting in terms of motivational factors and stressors on our students (Feedback from Schools Careers Masterclass) Impact and engagement at a national level Drawing upon a diversity of media has allowed this work to have a broader national reach. Platforms have included a <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog/" title="FiF Blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dedicated blog</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Uni_FiF?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twitter feed </a>and also <a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog/newsletters/newsletter-1_apr-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online newsletters</a> which have been complemented by TV features, radio interviews and also articles that seek to provide assistance to those commencing university and also those contemplating attending. For example, <a href="http://www.uow.edu.au/unispeak/UOW214419.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.uow.edu.au/unispeak/UOW214419.html</a> and <a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3983371/feduni-forum-for-the-first-in-families/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3983371/feduni-forum-for-the-first-in-families/</a> or<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/first-generation-university-students-facing-different-challenges/8380904" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/first-generation-university-students-facing-different-challenges/8380904</a>This research has informed workshops and seminars on student engagement and retention presented to over 500 staff across 15 university sites in all states of Australia (except NT). These empirically informed workshops focus on supporting and engaging commencing and first year students who are intersected by various equity categorisations. This work has provided the basis for changes in thinking and approaches: 239 participants completed workshop evaluations with some 86% indicating that they were likely or most likely to apply ideas derived from the workshop to their professional context and 96% of participants indicating that attendance had contributed to their knowledge base. Workshops have been complemented by two national conferences (2015 and 2016), which attracted over 200 stakeholders from across the education and community sectors in Australia with representation from universities, TAFEs, NFP organisations and schools. Feedback from both forums has similarly indicated how findings from this research are immediately applicable: “When updating the staff on your presentation we decided to put our enthusiasm for the cohort into action in Session 2 and are currently putting together plans to congratulate First in Family students who commence study with SCU in Session 2 and perhaps conduct a Welcome Call to them from a fellow ‘First in Family’ student” (Southern Cross University) I work with the Residential students at UC so I will be using this workshop to begin a new program for new students who may be FiF (University of Canberra workshop)The research underpinned the development of the Overarching Principles and Strategies For Supporting First-in-family Students and their Families, published online and presented (by invitation) to the Department of Education at the national Improving Student Success seminar (<a href="https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/200505/451751/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universities Australia Conference,</a> March 2017). Finally, the research has also contributed to knowledge about student retention and engagement at a national policy level, with the latest <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/news/release-higher-education-standards-panel-s-discussion-paper-improving-completion-retention-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Government Discussion Paper on Student Attrition and Retention </a>(Higher Education Standards Panel, 2017) cites this research to evidence the need for new equity definitions of students (p45). <a href="https://video214.com/play/TWTKaaZXAJuSqzDtEzXeTQ/s/dark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recommendations from this work</a> have been used to inform changes to sector-wide approaches to retaining students from equity groups. Impact at an international level The research has attracted emerging attention internationally resulting in invitations to<a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/education/cheer/events/criticalperspectives" title="KEYNOTE" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> present internationally,</a><a href="https://www.srhe.ac.uk/events/details.asp?eid=235" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> </a> book publications and a Churchill Fellowship to enable visits to the UK, Canada and the US to study best practise for engaging students from equity backgrounds - report available <a href="https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellows/detail/4281/Sarah+O%27Shea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here </a> 
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Adult, Vocational and Higher Education Postgraduate Programs Strand Coordinator and Course Coordinator 2010 -

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Degree	Research Title	Advisee
Doctor of Philosophy	Partnerships in learning: Building a framework for collaboration	Austin, Kylie
Doctor of Education	Crossing the Threshold: What are the Experiences of Male Learners Transitioning into Higher Education from an Enabling Course?	McNamara, Jacinta
Doctor of Philosophy	Psychological barriers to participation in higher education	Parkinson, Bradley

Outreach Overview

I am seeking to effect change within the higher education sector through research that focuses on the access and participation of students from identified equity groups. My institutional and nationally funded research studies advance understanding of how under-represented student cohorts enact success within university, navigate transition into this environment, manage competing identities and negotiate aspirations for self and others. My work is highly regarded for applying diverse conceptual and theoretical lenses to tertiary participation, which incorporate theories of social class, identity work, gender studies and poverty.

To this end I have worked across the sector implementing outreach activities and play an active role in community roles in this regard, these activities have been summarised below:

UStart@UOW: I initiated an orientation program for low SES students whilst at University of Newcastle and in partnership with the Dean of Students offered this at University of Wollongong across four faculties (Faculty of Education, Law, Science and Arts) in 2011 and then university-wide. I delivered training for all the student facilitators and also coordinated this program within Faculty of Education. I was also involved in introducing a similar program at Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) called IStart@Woolyungah and a program targeted at parents called UStart2@UOW

Board Member, Kiama Community College: I have volunteered as a Board Director for the Kiama and Shoalhaven Community Colleges since 2011. In this role, I assist in guiding the strategic direction of the Community College but also provide advice in regard to outreach programs

I have participated in a number of reviews concerning UOW's outreach programs (In2Uni) and published reports on both reviews:

O’Shea, S., Harwood, V., Howard, S., Cliff, K., & Delahunty, J (2016). Final Report: Investigating the effectiveness of the In2Uni Year 12 University Preparation Program (UPP).

Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Howard, S. & Cliff, K (2014). Final Report: Evaluation of the In2Uni Program. Available from: http://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/2299/

I have worked with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) in both research projects and also consultation roles reviewing the impact of the program on Indigenous young people, details of this work follow:

2013-2016 Part of the research team that is conducting a 3-year evaluation that will evaluate the viability of the expansion of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. Department of Education and Training ($200,000)

2012-2013 Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Clapham, K., Bodkin-Andrews, G., Wright, J., Kervin, L., & McMahon, S. (2013) Evaluation of the AIME Outreach Program, DEEWR and University of Wollongong: Australia. ($110,000)

2013-2016 Harwood, V., Chandler, P., & O’Shea, S. Mentoring and Indigenous higher education: Understanding how university students mentor Indigenous school students. Australian Research Council Discovery Project. ($211,000)

Orcid Id

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8988-6674 (confirmed)

Scopus Id

44261297600

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Higher Education Access for All: Exploring Education Equity within the Tertiary Sector

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Outreach Overview

Identity

Orcid Id

Scopus Id

Overview

Top Publications

Research Areas

Research Overview

Geographic Focus

Affiliation

Head Of

Member Of

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Book

Chapter

Conference Paper

Other Publications

Funding

Investigator On

Other Research Activities

Impact

Impact Story

Higher Education Access for All: Exploring Education Equity within the Tertiary Sector

Supervision

Teaching Activities

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Service

Outreach Overview

Identity

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Scopus Id

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