Educational disadvantage and policy: expanding the spaces of assessment

The issues that social researchers study and policymakers address are partly determined by how they think about the world around them. Their view of often depends on their position within it. What research reveals policies propose are, in part, a reflection where choose to look interpret identify. result can be myopic distorted explanation relations work. In this paper, we argue need widen aperture lens use investigate ameliorate educational disadvantage. particular, matters education equity, beyond measuring opportunities outcomes target groups, consider substantiveness as well subjective conditions objective contexts mediate people transform resources into outcomes. Drawing work both Bourdieu Sen, an expanded evaluative framework outlines five spaces for assessing disadvantage: disposition, capital interaction, capability expansion, conversion ability, conditioned choices.