Tackling the EthNic Gap IN higher Education (ENGINE). (ENGINE)

The persistence of ethnic inequalities in higher education institutions (HEls) - the 'ethnic gap'­ is a major societal problem in OECD and particularly in Flanders. The gap reflects the underrepresentation, lower academic achievements, well-being, and belonging of ethnic minority students compared to ethnic majority students. This project aims to tackle this societal problem by promoting a 'Close-the-Gap toolkit' to significantly reduce the ethnic gap and capitalise on the potential of the region's diversifying youth.
In the first phase of the project, we will generate a better understanding of the effectiveness of different types of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEi) efforts (at the macro-, mesa- and micro-level) to reduce the ethnic gap. This will be realized by means of a comprehensive and mixed-methods collection and analysis of large-scale data (a survey with 1200 students and 300 teachers, policy documents of all HEls) and medium- and small-scale data (interviews, experiments, observations, group discussions) The research will be fully co-created with (ethnic minority) students as co-initiators of this project.
In the second phase, these insights will be integrated into a Close-the-Gap toolkit which will provide relevant actors with tailor-made tools to address the ethnic gap: from governing institutions to HEls (and different actors therein), civil society actors, and (ethnic minority) student associations.