Mayer, Fiona2024-06-142024-06-142020-08https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3101967/1/H00021900_Aug2020.pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2139/56874In Saint Lucia, the number of young men pursuing higher education tends to be significantly lower than that of young women. However, there is limited scientific research into the topic of young males’ participation and under-representation in higher education within the Saint Lucian environment. This qualitative research examined the main factors that affect young males in Saint Lucia as they journey through higher education. The thesis examined the lived experiences that these young men encountered during the pursuit of higher education. As the lived experiences were shared, the authentic experiences of the young Saint Lucian males as it relates to higher education and the factors that influenced those aspirations were expressed. This research is informed by Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenology, which focuses on the importance of the participants’ experiences. The work of Bourdieu is used to underpin the research. The research methodology used in this study ensured that the perspectives shared were based on the subjective experiences of the participants. With the use of purposive sampling, fifteen young males were selected as participants for this study. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with the fifteen participants of the Piton Institute of Higher Learning, which is located in Saint Lucia. The data analysis identified units of meaning and emergent themes. The findings suggested that there was keenness towards, and aspirations of higher education after secondary school, in the minds of the participants in the study. According to their shared experiences, the path to higher education was influenced by social, economic and cultural capital. The study brings new knowledge and perspectives to an area, which has been under researched in Saint Lucia, by focusing on the voices of the research participants. The impact of social, academic and cultural capital was explored in relation to the higher education aspirations and its part in the widening participation debate. This study being qualitative in nature, the findings are not generalizable to all Saint Lucia males. Nonetheless, the conclusions and recommendations provided a useful insight into how higher education can be made more accessible to young males in Saint Lucia and increase their success at completion of their studies. Further research can explore the perception of males in secondary schools about higher education. Based on the findings, it is recommended that necessary policy frameworks, financial and educational support systems be instituted to facilitate increased levels of male progression and success in higher education.en-USmale studentshigher educationyoung malesThesis