Changing the narrative: an inter-disciplinary approach to improving adult learning for minoritised groups in higher education

The attainment gap between black and minority ethnic (BME) students and White students in higher education has been a concern for educators for at least the last 15 years. Over this period, Pakistani and Bangladeshi undergraduate students have, on average, attained 20 percentage points lower in their final degree scores that their White counterparts and Black students have faired even worse, with the gap being around 25 percent (Walton, 2012; Cole, 2011; Equality Challenge Unit and Higher Education Academy, 2008; Broecke and Nicholls, 2007). This attainment gap has fluctuated slightly from one year to another and there has been no trend of overall improvement. This paper discusses two conflicting frameworks for analysing this discrepancy and proposes ways in which these frameworks can be unified.