The Effect of Megaevents on the Educational Environment: Perceptions of London 2012

The thesis explores the way in which a megaevent, such as the Olympics, interacts with the educational environment –those aspects of culture, politics and economics that define the field within which educational institutions exist. The study critically reflects upon the processes that operate within the field of education, drawing on the conceptual work of Bourdieu to do so. The Olympics are used as a lens to make explicit aspects of practice within the field through the ‘disruption’ that the opportunities of the Games bring. These disruptions are characterised within the thesis as ‘event structures’ which change location factors for a number of activities (Preuss, 2006) including education. Consideration is given to the ways in which education has engaged with the social change that is inherent within regeneration efforts and considers ways in which a more active engagement might be promulgated. In doing so an appreciation is offered of: the difficulties that are inherent in this active engagement; the importance of context in the sustainability of changes in practice; and the need to develop an understanding of ‘place’ within educational discourse.

This understanding of practice is built around a timeline of empirical investigations which began in 2009 when a Q methodological study focused on the perceptions of likely legacy held by a group of educational stakeholders drawn from East London. It concluded in 2013 when key informant interviews elicited perceptions on legacy momentum in the post-event phase as well as reflecting, in a deliberative manner, on the perceptions of the educational stakeholders.

The thesis engaged with the methodological elicitation of habitus through the use of Q methodology and empirically considered the implications of the perceptions of legacy which were held by six distinct factors that emerged from the exploration that was undertaken. The conclusion indicates that Q methodology complements and enhances community engagement with, and involvement in, shaping the legacies achieved by harnessing megaevents to the process of regeneration.