How was it for you? A study exploring sense of belonging and lived experiences of black students on programmes with consistently high awarding gaps at the University of Derby

In this chapter, the University of Derby’s Access Participation Policy Research and Evaluation team share the findings of a comparative study conducted in 2021/22. The research was carried out in response to the
University’s key student equity challenge: differential degree outcomes between white and black students. The significance of the awarding gap was identified through an assessment of performance exercise completed by all higher education providers as part of their 2020/21 to 2024/25
Access and Participation Plans (APP). This equity challenge, shared by most higher education providers in England, is a primary focus for the Office for Students (OfS), leading their drive to ensure that student success is not dictated by personal background but by the quality and inclusivity
of their higher education experience. The chapter shares every aspect of the study from conception, including the development of a hypothesis informed by existing literature, to study design, methodology, and analysis. It concludes by sharing surprising findings, reflections on the strengths
and weaknesses of the study, and a call for institutions to conduct similar studies to understand their own students’ experiences and the impact of existing institutional structures on those experiences.