Bourdieu, Communities of Practice and Self-efficacy

There were other theoretical perspectives and concepts aside from class that help to explain the extent to which the individuals in this study successfully integrated into their respective universities. This chapter will explain these theories and concepts as they help inform the reader how these non-traditional students negotiated the barriers and difficulties they faced and how these were overcome. Firstly, Bourdieu’s analytical framework is clarified in this chapter to explicate why his thinking tools are generative for those in educational research. The interrelated concepts of habitus and field resonated with me as I conducted research within my own classroom, and the practical application of Bourdieu’s concepts helped to explicate classroom phenomena. Application of this analytical framework facilitated exploration of how psychosocial issues impact on habitus when entering a new field, an area worthy of further research, Reay (2015) notes. Criticisms of Bourdieu’s concept of habitus are that it is nebulous, does not engage with the domain of emotions and leaves no room for individual agency. As previously discussed, the middle classes are better able to mobilise their agency and possess very different habitus compared to working-class students. Class, discussed in the previous chapter, therefore also becomes a factor discussed in relation to habitus. New layers of habitus can grow on successful completion of academic tasks, which can engender feelings of self-efficacy, which is the second theoretical principle applied in this study. Consequently, Bandura’s (1997, 2006) theory of self-efficacy is explored in relation to Bourdieu. Learners can engender feelings of self-efficacy in one another by working together to become more effective learners, argues Wenger (2007), as they adopt new behaviours of the group. Lave and Wenger (1991) would argue that such a group, who collectively interact both socially and academically and learn from one another, is a “community of practice”, which is the third theoretical principle guiding this research and which is lastly discussed.