Abstract
Mature and reentry female students enrolled in post-secondary education, in most cases, combine school with other life roles. Despite the growing trend to study how multiple roles may conflict with each other, evidence suggests that multiple roles can be enriching and that female non-traditional students are particularly prone to experience these benefits. Thus, we tested a school-to-family and family-to-school enrichment model, in which school dimensions (mastery experiences, low school exclusion, school satisfaction and school-to- -family balance) were antecedents to school-to-family enrichment and family dimensions (family satisfaction and family-to-school balance) were antecedents of family-to-school enrichment. This model was tested, through path analysis, using 88 non-traditional Portuguese students (female student parents) enrolled in an evening undergraduate program. The model showed an adequate fit to the data, suggesting that aspects of school-to-family and family-to-school enrichment coexist. Mastery experiences and low school exclusion were associated with school-to-family enrichment while perceptions of school-to-family balance and satisfaction with the school role were not. Perceptions of family-to-school balance were associated with family-to-school enrichment but family satisfaction was not. These findings unveil a new view on mature students enrolled at the university, pointing to the role of positive experiences at school and on school-family balance to a better interface of school and family roles.
Highlights
Non-traditional students, including mature and reentry students, are two key target groups for widening participation in higher education in many western countries (Butcher, Corfield, & Rose-Adams, 2012; Devas, 2011)
Despite the acknowledgement that combining multiple roles can be a source of tension and conflict, the addition of the school role can contribute to positive outcomes like self-efficacy, positive affect and self-fulfillment (Home, 1997; Johnson & Robson, 1999; Quimby & O’Brien, 2006; van Rhijn, 2014)
Some studies have begun to explore the processes through which school and family can impact each other (e.g., Van Stone et al, 2004; van Rhijn & Lero, 2009), but investigation of how student and familial roles can enrich each other is lacking, in particular with regard to Portuguese non-traditional students. To begin addressing this gap, we tested a model of antecedents of school-to-family and family-to-school enrichment with a sample of female non-traditional students in Portugal
Summary
Non-traditional students, including mature and reentry students, are two key target groups for widening participation in higher education in many western countries (Butcher, Corfield, & Rose-Adams, 2012; Devas, 2011). Despite the acknowledgement that combining multiple roles can be a source of tension and conflict, the addition of the school role can contribute to positive outcomes like self-efficacy, positive affect and self-fulfillment (Home, 1997; Johnson & Robson, 1999; Quimby & O’Brien, 2006; van Rhijn, 2014). In this regard, female student parents have been found to have specific characteristics, like high motivational levels and valuable personal and family resources that contribute to these positive outcomes (Looker, 1997; van Rhijn, 2014). Some researchers have found that pursuing post-secondary education is often described, by female non-traditional students, as a fulfillment of a “dream” that was put away due to either professional or familial responsibilities and, attending school is often described as an enriching experience (Adams & Corbett, 2010; Ogren, 2003)
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