ERIC Number: EJ1463639
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-7925
EISSN: EISSN-1469-3623
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Higher Education Students as Consumers: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis of Students' Views
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v55 n2 p174-191 2025
The rapid expansion of neo-liberal regimes has effectively transformed how students -- their role and purpose -- are understood in society. Scholars, especially in the Anglophone North, have shown how dominant policy narratives tend to position students as consumers. More recent studies have begun to explore students' views of this construction. However, much of this work focuses on a particular country; thus, how students' opinions may vary across contexts remains largely underexamined. Redressing this gap, this article explores students' perspectives on being constructed as consumers in Denmark, England, and Spain. It discusses similarities and differences across and within these countries. The paper shows that most students find this construction profoundly problematic and counter to the ideals of education as a public good. Yet, different, often contrasting, themes from students' narratives signify the relevance of the funding regime and the level of stratification within HE sectors in shaping students' understanding of consumerist discourse across Europe.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Consumer Economics, Neoliberalism, Student Role, Student Attitudes, Cross Cultural Studies, Cultural Differences, Social Stratification, Educational Finance, Foreign Countries, Role of Education, College Students
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Denmark; Spain; United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; 2Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK; 3School of Education, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK