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Degrees of Choice: Social Class, Race, and Gender in Higher Education Diane Reay, Miriam E. David, and Stephen Ball Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom: Trentham, 2005, 192 pages, $29.95
Higher Education in western civilization has shaped the world. Technological advances, innovation in instructional delivery, and financial support has opened the doors of education to most of the population. While an American mindset proposes access as common, die reality is that much of die world's citizens face difficulties in terms of access to higher education. The authors of this text address variables impacting access to and choice within higher education in the United Kingdom. Over the course of the eight chapters the authors highlight external variables directing access for individuals. The information is specific to the United Kingdom, but can also be understood through multiple lenses.
The introductory chapter provides the theoretical framework for the text and highlights that the literature base for research on higher education choice was not extensive. The context is supported by Bourdieu's research on distinction and judgment, expanding that literature to understand student choice in higher education. The authors attempt to connect institutional and family variables and their influence on decision-making in education. To expand the discussion of student demographic in higher education, the authors also discuss non-traditional students (working class, ethnic minorities, and older women). Expanding the types of students considered hopes to expand the reader's understanding of choice in education. Most importantly, the text provides narratives of the parents of students to...