Crusty, but not Rusty: the mature student experience

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Crusty, but not Rusty the mature student
experience

• Dr Jenny Mercer
• UWIC

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Trends in past research

• Prejudicial
• Negative
• Mature students considered in comparison
• to younger students

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• adults simply do not have the mental agility to
  equal learning performance of younger people
  (DeCrow, 1959)
• If a crisis has not yet occurred than watch out
  for it (Wheeler and Birtle, 1993)

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Richardson and Woodley (2003)
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Are mature students different?

• Approaches to learning
• Trueman and Hartley (1996)
• Zeegers (2001)
• Sources of motivation
• Newstead et al. (1997)
• Justice and Dorman (2001)

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• Less likely to cheat
• Franklyn-Stokes and Newstead (1995)
• Time management
• Trueman and Hartley (1996)
• More anxious?
• Prince (1996)

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What about the students themselves?

• what is missing from the current discourse are
  the voices of the learners themselves (Edwards
  et al 1998 8/9)
• Burke (2002) require the experiences of such
  groups to redress social inequalities and develop
  education

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Future directions of research?

• Mature students only
• Wider range of methods
• Different questions

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Mercer (2003)

• Cross-sectional design
• Purposive sampling (Smith 2000)
• FE Access students
• N11
• HE Ex Access students
• N20
• Social constructionist version of grounded theory
  (Charmaz 1990)

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The mature student experience

• It was just like opening a door to Aladdins
  cave, you know, there were all these different
  people and all these different subjects and I
  found it absolutely fascinating
• F53 6 months after graduation

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Personal Identities

• Oh self confidence and belief in myself on an
  academic level and especially in my social skills
  in interacting with peopleits broadened my
  outlook on everything
• M43 end of 3rd yr
• Its the best thing Ive ever done. Its given
  me the confidence and self worth, and its given
  me something to aim for in lifeand its shown me
  that Im more than just a mother and wife
• F36 end of 2nd yr

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Group IdentitiesRelationship with younger
students

• I thought I would lack confidence coming here
  because the 18 year olds would be so intelligent
  andoh they would just storm the place with
  questions and things. But it wasnt like that at
  all, it was us matures who were asking the
  questions.
• F35 end of 3rd year

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Group IdentitiesRelationship with younger
students

• but those exams are creeping closer and closer.
  Can I do that? Can I remember things? Can I put
  them down in the allotted time? Can I? Can I? We
  know the kids can because theyve passed their A
  Levels
• M28 end of 1st yr

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Group IdentitiesRelationship with tutors

• No Ive never had a problem with itI just
  knock, I dont even look, Im terrible I am, but
  they dont bother with me. I get the feeling if
  that if theyre not busy, or they can say to me
  look, they dont need to worry about airs and
  graces, or hurting my feelings and that, because
  Im a mature student
• M42 end of 2nd yr

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Group IdentitiesRelationship with tutors

• in fact I think its been noticed by some staff
  that they do spend more time getting on with and
  talking to mature students, and mature students
  ask questions in seminar groups and things like
  that, whereas sixth formers are more reticent and
  then there does seem to be a greater rapport
  between mature students and tutors

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Group IdentitiesRelationship with tutors

• So do you think tutors treat mature students
  differently?
• I think they do. I dont think they talk down
  to young students, but I dont think there is the
  rapport, I suppose its something to do with
  life, life experience as well, you know? Mature
  students have got similar life experiences to
  lecturers in that theyve brought up families
  perhaps, you know, done different jobs,
  whateverand um, so they can talk on another
  level I suppose
• F43 end of 3rd yr

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Institutional Issues

• Flexibility
• Support systems within the university
• Finance

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Summary/Conclusions

• Shifting personal identity
• Strong sense of social identity as a mature
  student
• Perceived needs at an institutional level