Experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) international postgraduate students on a Social Work programme: Support strategies towards bridging attainment gap

There is evidence of significant difference in students’ attainment within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) between Black Minority Ethnic (BME) students and their white counterparts. Though some of the reasons for low attainment such personal issues are applicable to all students, BME students are faced with other barriers such cultural and societal challenges. This study aims to analyse the experiences of BME international postgraduate students on the Social Work programme and to identify effective support strategies towards bridging the attainment gap. This research uses interpretative phenomenological analysis to interpret the teaching and learning experiences of students. Ten BME international postgraduate students were invited to join two focus group discussions over two months. The focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and coded using NVivo software version 14. The coding resulted in three main themes (a) academic experiences, (b) personal experiences, (c) support strategies and three sub-themes for each theme. These themes informed the development of the Three-Door Framework for enhancing BME academic student experience was developed to assess students’ academic background, current situation and plan next steps. The application of the Three-Door Framework can be applied to HEI policies/practices on how tutor group sessions are carried out in HEIs. The significance of this research is that, showing an interest in and taking a holistic approach in understanding BME students’ academic backgrounds and how this is influenced by the personal challenges creates a sense of belonging and ultimately improves students’ attainment. Future research should explore the experiences of academics and professionals who support BME students and develop strategies to compliment the Three-Door Framework.