Low-SES Students Face Cultural Mismatch on Placements

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Work placements can offer opportunities while also exposing unfamiliar professional expectations. Lisa Williams, Kathy Jordan and Tricia McLaughlin explore both sides in a study of low socioeconomic status students’ work-integrated learning experiences.

What four cases can show

The researchers interviewed four students at a large urban Australian university, purposively selected from a survey of more than 200. All were first in their family to attend university. The analysis considered how access to networks and knowledge of workplace norms shaped their placements.

Participants described difficulty obtaining placements, anxiety about fitting in, and unfamiliar expectations about communication, dress and behaviour. Some adapted their presentation to match the workplace. The authors question the implications of treating this adaptation as a necessary part of employability.

The account is not wholly negative: all four cases also reported positive employability outcomes, including greater confidence or professional connections. These experiences illuminate possible mechanisms and tensions; the small, selected sample cannot estimate their prevalence or prove the effectiveness of a support programme.

Questions for placement teams

As editorial suggestions, ask students what they needed to know before joining a workplace and where the process assumed existing professional contacts. Discuss induction expectations with placement hosts, including who can help when a student feels excluded.

Collect feedback about benefits as well as barriers. If introducing mentoring, financial support or new preparation, assess its effects locally rather than presenting this study as proof that it will work. Follow-up conversations can also help distinguish a challenging but valuable placement from an experience requiring intervention.

Reference

Lisa Williams, Kathy Jordan and Tricia McLaughlin. “They want people who are not me”: low socioeconomic status students’ WIL experiences. Higher Education. DOI: 10.1007/s10734-025-01464-6.

Reviewed 7 September 2026 against the full paper. This revision restores the reported positive outcomes, states the sample limits and separates editorial suggestions from evaluated interventions.