A systematic review of students’ habitus in the higher education field: challenge and resilience

To contribute to the student transition theory and practices through the lens of habitus, this systematic review identifies three prevailing trends and features of the existing literature: non-traditional students in the spotlight and comparisons with traditional students; heterogeneity among non-traditional students (different mechanisms and layers); and the ecology of fields and habitus intertwined with reflexivity, agency, and identity. By categorizing different student groups and comparing their habitus-related problems, responses to those problems, and relevant factors, it reveals the predominant research focus on non-traditional students and problematizes the oversimplified classification of them. Non-traditional students with socioeconomic status (SES)-based, sociocultural origin (SCO)-based, and educational habitus diverge. Moreover, it considers students’ habitus in the ecology of environmental systems, which involve various contexts (e.g. nation, local community, institution, program, etc.), actors (e.g. faculty, staff, peers, family members, etc.), and elements (e.g. previous schooling, intangible features of HE institutions, etc.). Nuanced understandings of differences between habitus transformed to adapt to or transcend the higher education (HE) field, and the complex interplay between habitus and identity are also solicited. These contribute to acknowledging the dynamic transitions of heterogeneous students better and providing practical implications for HE institutions to facilitate student transition, especially non-traditional students’ development, in a tailored manner.