M. Fellner (2024): Study ability as a social construct. A socio-critical perspective.
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In her historical-comparative dissertation,Magdalena Fellner examines the influences on the meanings and attributions of the term "ability to study" from the beginnings of university history to the present day. She comes to the conclusion that if potential students do not meet the requirements of the ruling power elite of the time, this leads to the exclusion of social groups and thus to the maintenance of a hierarchical class society. It becomes clear that the classic concept of the ability to study harbors problems that reinforce social inequalities instead of counteracting them. On the basis of theoretical and empirical analyses, the dynamics between normative expectations and collective and individual lifeworlds are illustrated. Finally, the study proposes a reconceptualization of the concept of study ability from a relational perspective.
For her dissertation, Magdalena Fellner was awarded the Ulrich Teichler Prize for outstanding dissertations, awarded by the Society for Higher Education Research, as well as the Science Future Prize 2024 of the State of Lower Austria.
Magdalena Fellner: Studying ability as a social construct. A socio-critical perspective. Frankfurt a.M.; New York: Campus 2024(Open Access-E-Book)