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Becoming a mature student: How adult appplicants weigh the advantages and disadvantages of higher education

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Abstract

The data presented in this paper is taken fromthe results of two much larger studies ofmature student decision-making and HigherEducation (HE), which considerprocesses of agency from initial considerationof the possibility of becoming a studentto eventually becoming one. In thispaper, six categories of applicant to HE arediscussed:

• `Delayed traditional students',

• `Late starters' who have undergone alife-transforming event e.g. redundancy ordivorce and require `a new start'.

• `Single parents'

• `Careerists', who are currently in employment who seek a qualification to make progress in their existing careers,

• `Escapees' who are currently in employment who want a qualification as a way out of `dead-end' jobs,

• Finally, the `personal growers', a small number pursuing education for its own sake.

These categories of applicants are discussed inlight of the factors that both catalyse andinhibit individuals' decision-making duringapplication to HE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK (author for correspondence, E-mail

    Michael Osborne, Andrew Marks* & Eileen Turner

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  1. Michael Osborne
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  2. Andrew Marks*
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  3. Eileen Turner
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Correspondence to Michael Osborne.

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Osborne, M., Marks*, A. & Turner, E. Becoming a mature student: How adult appplicants weigh the advantages and disadvantages of higher education. Higher Education 48, 291–315 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HIGH.0000035541.40952.ab

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