What is it about?
There are significant levels of poverty and child poverty in Scotland and research has focussed on the impact of poverty on school education. However, research on the impact of poverty on students in further and higher education in Scotland and the wider UK is limited. This study focussed on the poverty experienced by students on an undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) degree programme in a Scottish university. The design comprised two sequential strands. The first strand involved an electronic survey that collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 218 students. Ten interviews explored the themes highlighted in the surveys in more detail. Findings showed that students had a realistic view of the extent of poverty within Scotland and the UK, and they were experiencing a range of poverties related to clothing transport, food and accommodation, often in a way that was related to the demands of their distinctive university programme.
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Why is it important?
This research is a scoping study that uncovers types of hidden poverty. During the current cost of living crisis, it is crucial to understand more about undergraduate student experiences.
Perspectives
This research has uncovered some worrying data. We know many of these students personally and did not appreciate the hardship that some of them were facing.
Lindsay Gibson
University of Glasgow
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Poverty Experienced by Initial Teacher Education Students in Scotland, Scottish Educational Review, July 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/27730840-bja10027.
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