*4.5. The Development of Capabilities in Students Engaged in Two University-Based Programs Aimed at Low-SES Students*

Until 2014, university-to-school educational outreach activities targeting low-SES students mainly adhered to a standard national model of providing some senior students from partner schools with opportunities to visit the university campus. Thanks to a significant external grant, this model changed in Trinity College Dublin, to focus on building the social, academic and human capital of *all students* within partner schools (grades 7–12) and providing professional development support for teachers to foster collaborative and reflective learning environments [28]. The first pilot phase of the initiative (Trinity Access 21 (TA21)) involved a three-year, quasi-experimental, intervention-style study, which ran until 2017 and followed a cohort of 1100 year 1 (grade 10) students from 11 treatment and 4 control schools (2 from areas of similar SES, as well as 2 with high progression rates to higher education). Results from this three-year pilot intervention indicate that the TA21 programme has a positive effect on participants' aspirations to continue in education after completing post-primary school, with evidence of increased aspirations and capabilities in the intervention group with respect to the control groups [25].

In addition to this overarching research study, Hannon undertook a qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) study on the program, which explored the question of *how social and academic supports for students, provided within the context of a school–university partnership, might contribute to the development of student capabilities.* The "capability approach" study used qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) a group of 35 research participants, who were students in the second year of secondary education at the outset (age 14). All students were from families where the parents did not initially progress to higher education, although two of the students had parents who had more recently undertaken higher education qualifications. The study began with students when they were 14 years of age and continued with the same students as they progressed through second-level education for the following 3 years (age 17). Student focus groups and interviews were triangulated with teacher focus groups and principal interviews. The study aimed to determine if there is a specific set of educational capabilities, the development of which would support *the capability to aspire towards post-secondary education* in low-SES students [24,25,33].
