Exploring the learning experiences of older mature undergraduate students

Pearce, Nick ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1805-7617 (2017) Exploring the learning experiences of older mature undergraduate students. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 19 (1). pp. 59-76. ISSN 1466-6529

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Abstract

Abstract Mature students have been a significant feature of UK higher education for at least 40 years. Categorising all undergraduates who started their degrees over the age of 21, as mature masks significant diversity. Older mature students have been shown to get better degree outcomes than younger mature students and young students. This study explores the learning experience of six older mature students, who started their studies over the age of 40, in order to better understand this under- studied group. The findings suggest that confidence is of critical importance in underpinning the experience of this group, and that increased confidence leads to better time management and more integration into the wider student body. This has implications for lifelong learning, where developing strategies to improve the confidence of these learners can help accelerate their integration into the student body, and may have a positive impact on their retention.

Item Type: Article
Identifier: 10.5456/WPLL.19.1.59
Additional Information: © Nick Pearce 2017. The definitive, peer reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, Volume 19, Number 1, January 2017, pp. 59-76(18).
Keywords: mature learners, older mature
Subjects: Education > Higher education
Depositing User: Nick Pearce
Date Deposited: 20 Feb 2017 14:29
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2024 15:51
URI: https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/2947

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