The shifting subjectification of the ‘Widening participation’ student: the affective world of the ‘Deserving’ consumer

In this chapter, we focus on the emotional dimensions of widening participation (WP) that are often obscured through much activity and evaluation surrounding National Collaborative Outreach Programmes (NCOPs). We consider, using data collected with young people, what focusing on their affective worlds or emotional states might reveal about current and future imaginings of the ‘potential’ higher education (HE) student, as well as the current state of play within the practices of WP. This draws from our experience leading regional research and evaluation of Phase 1 of the Office for Students-funded UK-wide NCOP, which ran from January 2017 to July 2019. In this chapter, we draw predominantly on insight from qualitative learner data generated through individual and group interviews with 83 young people aged between 11 and 18, carried out as part of a larger mixed methods data set. We argue that the targeting of geo-demographic measures, and the surrounding socio-economic and policy climate risks obscuring the persistence of more pervasive forces against HE progression beyond the individual or community levels.