Higher education as a system: The English experience

Filippakou, Ourania; Salter, Brian; Tapper, Ted

Abstract

With particular, although not exclusive, reference to England, this article explores the appropriateness of describing higher education as a system. It has two main purposes: to explore the grounds for labelling English higher education as a system and to argue that, because this is no longer an appropriate label, a different conceptualisation is required. The central argument is that the structure of higher education is formed through the interaction of the state, market and higher education institutions and is, therefore, a shifting political construct. Furthermore, it will be hypothesised that the English (indeed, the British) model of higher education is better described as an increasingly internally differentiated network of sectors rather than as a system. © 2011 The Authors. Higher Education Quarterly © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Citation

Filippakou, O., Salter, B., & Tapper, T. (2012). Higher education as a system: The English experience. Higher Education Quarterly, 66(1), 106-122. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2011.00506.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Nov 15, 2011
• Publication Date: 2012-01
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 24, 2018
• Journal: Higher Education Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 0951-5224
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 66
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 106-122
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2011.00506.x
• Keywords: Education
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/468532
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2011.00506.x
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2017