Literature Review Blog #5

Minding the Gap? Young People’s Accounts of Taking a Gap Year As A Form of Identity Work in Higher Education

By Andrew King

1. Visual 

2. Citation

King, Andrew. "Minding the Gap? Young People’s Accounts of Taking a Gap Year as 

     a Form of Identity Work in Higher Education." EBSCO eBook Collection, 

     Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, May 2011, web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/ 

     detail/ 

     detail?vid=3&sid=3f52b287-600a-4ee4-9eb4-1701b75af718%40sessionmgr103&hid=115&bda 

     ta=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=59530281&db=aph. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017. 

3. Summary

I his piece, Minding the Gap? Andrew King extends gap year research into the context of higher education. He explores the relationships between students who have taken a gap year and how it has further prepared them for college in terms of identity work that they have performed and various forms of cultural capital they they have acquired.   

4. Author

Andrew King joined the University of Surrey in December 2012 and teaches across a range of programs in the Department of Sociology. He is also the Co-Editor of Sociology (the flagship journal of the BSA), Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender and former Chair of the European Sociological Association Sexuality Research Network (2011-2015), and received the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2014.

5. Key Terms

Identity Work: the notion of identity negotiation may arise from the learning of social roles through personal experience. Identity negotiation is a process in which a person negotiates with society at large regarding the meaning of his or her identity.

Cultural Capital: social assets of a person (education, intellect, style of speech and dress, etc.) that promote social mobility in a stratified society

6. Quotes

“Educational credentials are no longer a guarantee of success: university students must therefor seek to gain advantage through alternative channels, including developing a suitable”personality package” composed of communication skills and character traits favored by graduate employers” (page 343). 

“…third world travel experiences act as cultural capital, giving one something to display to peers….a social network that will be used to actively gain material advantage in the future” (page 343).

7. Value

This piece has become one of the main sources for my research, it is the major building block for my thesis and major argument. That being, students who take a gap year are able to explore, manipulate, and enhance their identities while at the same time gaining social skills and  connections that will greatly benefit them in their higher education and future career searches. 

Research Blog #9: Argument and Counter-Argument

Originally, the major counterargument against my topic was that gap years are only an option for the to affluent students, in which I believed was false, being that my research provided me with evidence that there were many options for financially backed gap year programs. However, this counterargument has sort of morphed into a supporting idea in my new topic. It has come to my attention that despite university programs with financial aid and corporations like Americorps, gap year programs are dominated by middle class students. So, it seems that wealth is a huge factor in the demographics of those participating. This counterargument-turned supporting argument-is going to play a huge roll in my research pertaining to two major ideas. The first being that is the identity work and cultural capital gained during the gap year an opportunity for affluent students only, and furthermore, is it widening the gap between upper/middle class students and those from the working class. 

Relevant Sources:

https://www.globalcitizenyear.org/press/gap-year-not-just-rich-kids-anymore/

http://time.com/money/4703924/trump-budget-americorps-college-funding-cut/

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/us/malia-obamas-gap-year-is-part-of-a-growing-and-expensive-trend.html?_r=0

Research Blog #8: Case

My case has shifted from a very broad summarization of a wide range of aspects pertaining to the “gap year” to a more specific and unique point. In my research I am exploring the opportunity for students to undergo immense identity work while also gaining social skills and connections as well as other forms of cultural capital, throughout their experience. It is obvious that the gap year can be a time for travel, work experience, saving money and much more. However, is it also a time to possibly gain a leg up on other students when returning to academic life and further on career searches? The identity work and cultural capital that students who participate in gap years acquire is undoubtably beneficial. But, is taking a gap year and further gaining these qualities an equal opportunity for all? In my paper, I am also looking into the possibility that privatization of universities and a possible lack of funding in the near future (under the new Trump administration) for gap year programs, is and will continue to act as an advantage for more affluent students.

I have gathered a few cases that explain the concepts of identity work and cultural capital as well as specific examples of students who portray these ideas. I have also looked into resources pertaining to the idea of the obvious (and growing) social stratification between students from various financial backgrounds that can be applied to my gap year research. 

Some useful links:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=7643ff71-f9e3-426f-8dcf-74e992347388%40sessionmgr102&vid=0&hid=129&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=59530281&db=aph

http://time.com/money/4703924/trump-budget-americorps-college-funding-cut/

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/youngest-kid-smartest-kid

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1350508407084485 

Research Blog #7: Frame

Since the main focus of my paper has become the idea of “identity-work,” (explained in last blog post) my research has become more and more sociological. Many sociologists ideas are brought up in various cases and articles as well as many terms and concepts that stem from the field of sociology. For example, one term that is relevant to students taking a gap year is Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital. Cultural capital refers to the social assets of a person (education, intellect, style of speech and dress, etc.) that promote social mobility in a stratified society. Students who take a gap year develop skills, relationships, and connections which are later used as a form of cultural capital wen they return to university and future career paths. 

The use of academic terms like identity work and cultural capital, as well as “the personality package” and emerging adulthood, is a constant reminder of what my paper should be about and what topics are extremely important to focus on as well as develop throughout my research and the writing of my final paper. 

So far, the most influential academic source I have  fond has been Minding the Gap? by Andrew King. In his case study he interviews students who have taken a gap year which is not only beneficial to my research but also interesting to read. He also gives a great background to the main ideas of identity work and other key concepts regarding the gap year. I will use this piece both as a starting point for major ideas as well as for specific details about certain students cases. 

Research Blog #6: Visual

Identity work: a set of active processes (such as forming, strengthening, and revising) which serve to construct a sense of identity. 

The main focus of my paper is the intense, reflexive, “identity-work” that students accomplish over the period of their gap year. Identity work is an idea introduced by Mats Alvesson and Hugh Willmott in relation to the management of corporations and further organization control. However, this idea is highly relatable to students taking gap years, who undergo extreme identity work which will prove to further affect their higher education career as well as future job searches. 

This flow chart depicts the ongoing flow and ins and outs of the process of creating or changing ones personal identity through identity work.