Estranged students in Further (FE) and Higher Education (HE) - experiences: literature review

2. Methodology

The review included UK publications in academic journals, grey literature and research undertaken by specialist organisations. The literature search was conducted in May and June 2022. All English language documents were included, and studies undertaken outwith the UK were excluded. We focused on literature published within the last 10 years. Searches were conducted using academic catalogues and Google. Search terms initially focused on 'estrangement' and 'estranged student'. This was later expanded to include:

• 'homeless student'
• 'LGBTQI+ student'
• 'student + forced marriage'
• 'independent student'.

Additionally, researchers drew upon existing literature searches conducted by the Scottish Government, as well as literature identified by stakeholders and members of the Research Advisory Group. In total, we reviewed 64 documents. These included journals, grey literature, policy documents and relevant websites, including those of government bodies across the UK.