Mature Age Students Research Articles

MAPs to Success: Improving the First Year Experience of alternative entry mature age students

Successfully supporting wider participation in higher education requires a coherent blend of administrative, social and academic support. Access is a necessary but insufficient element of equitable participation. This is a vital distinction given the outcomes of the Bradley Report and the expectation that higher education institutions will significantly increase the enrolment and participation of equity target groups. Our project, MAPs to Success, was designed to achieve the best possible outcomes for underprepared mature age students who have been granted alternative entry to the University of Western Australia through the Mature age Access Pathway (MAP). This alternative entry pathway was first offered in July 2008. In late 2009 we secured a Learning Teaching Performance Fund Grant to provide support for the original and subsequent cohorts. This paper outlines the theoretical perspectives underpinning this project's social and academic components, and evaluates the impact this project has achieved after its first year of operation.

Mature age students access, entry and success in nurse education: An action research study

This action research study involved an ‘expert group’ that was convened to consider issues for mature age nursing students in the Australian context and develop recommendations that could be used to strengthen mature age entry, access and success in nursing programs. Consistent with action research, the group worked through phases of planning, action, observation, evaluation and critical reflection. In developing recommendations that could be used for future planning, the group met regularly, reviewed extensive literature, and conducted two data collection activities, a questionnaire and focus group with education providers. From the action research activities, five major recommendations were generated. These focused on the value of mature age students, the need for specific information, transparent and clear processes for students entering nurse education, study support and finally, the provision of financial assistance.

Using an interdisciplinary partnership to develop nursing students’ information literacy skills: An evaluation

As learning paradigms shift to student-centred active learning, development of effective skills in locating and retrieving information using electronic sources is integral to promoting lifelong learning. Recency of information that is evidence based is a critical factor in a dynamic field such as health. A changing demographic is evident among nursing students with greater numbers of mature age students who may not possess the computer skills often assumed with school leavers, and whose study preference is mostly by external mode. Development of interdisciplinary partnerships between faculties and librarians can provide the attributes and innovation of new and improved ways to better support student learning, whether or not students attend on campus. The Health Online Tutorial, an online database searching tool developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary partnership at Charles Darwin University is one such example.

Making the most of the mosaic: facilitating post-school transitions to higher education of disadvantaged students

Research studies of post-school education and training conducted in Australia and internationally have revealed a mosaic of students’ education and employment experiences, with a multiplicity of nonlinear pathways. These tend to be more fragmentary for disadvantaged students, especially those of low socio-economic background, rural students, and mature aged students seeking a ‘second chance’ education. Challenges faced by students in their transitions to higher education are made more complex because of the intersection of vertical stratification created by institutional and sectoral status hierarchies and segmentation, especially relating to ‘academic’ and ‘vocational’ education and training, and the horizontal stratification of regional, rural and remote locations in which students live. If we are to achieve the equity goals set by the Bradley Review (Bradley et al., Review of Australian Higher Education Final Report, 2008) we need to acknowledge and work with the complex realities of disadvantaged students’ situations, starting at the school level. Interrelated factors at the individual, community and institutional level which continue to inhibit student take-up of higher education places are discussed in the context of discursive constructions of ‘disadvantage’ and ‘choice’ in late modernity. Research highlights the need to facilitate students’ post-school transitions by developing student resilience, institutional responsiveness and policy reflexivity through transformative education.

Developing 21st Century Diverse Adult Learning: Rural and Regional Student Access, Progression and Success in Higher Education

The recent review of Australian Higher Education identified the need to increase higher education participation rates amongst disadvantaged groups. The report in particular notes the need for urgent attention to increase higher education participation rates in rural and regional areas. Consistent with this review and other key government policy directions, La Trobe University has identified the need to increase regional participation rates and its strategic and operational plans have as key outcomes, the creation of educational pathways that support lifelong learning. A strong focus of these plans is enhanced relationships with the broader education sector including schools, vocational and community education providers. This paper will present and summarise research conducted in regional Australia that has clearly identified how mature age individuals experience a range of barriers in accessing, progressing and succeeding at university. This work demonstrates that in many rural and regional contexts, mature age students face additional barriers exacerbated by financial and time costs and the geographic distance between communities and university campuses. The paper will conclude that the development of bridging programs, articulation agreements and formal mentoring programs between universities, schools and vocational and community colleges will enhance a diversity of access, success and achievement in a higher education context.

Gauging the attitudes of non-traditional students at a new campus: an Australian case study

Of the challenges facing universities, the need to attract and accommodate students of increasingly varied demographic backgrounds is perhaps one of the most pressing. This study was conducted to profile the first-year student cohort at a new university campus characterised by the non-traditional students typical of a rapidly changing tertiary sector. The project was designed to follow on from the findings of a recent nation-wide review of first-year students in Australia, which provided a robust point of comparison. The cohort in this context differed from those of previous studies—over half were first-generation tertiary students; less than one-third were from a high socioeconomic status background; and just under half were mature-aged students. Overall, results indicated that students at this university, despite their backgrounds, were remarkably positive about their university experience and well-equipped to achieve at university study. These findings are highly relevant in terms of understanding the transitional experiences of non-traditional stud ents.

Supporting mature-aged students from a low socioeconomic background

The aim of the current study was to examine mature-aged student perceptions of university support services and barriers to study. Using a mixed methods approach, interviews and focus groups were conducted with mature-aged students to identify barriers to study, knowledge and use of current student support services, and suggestions to improve upon these services. From these data and an audit of university support services, an online survey was created to examine study barriers and patterns of support service use, as well as, perceptions of proposed support services not currently offered by the university within a larger sample of mature-aged students. Analysis of survey data indicated distinct patterns of barriers and support service use according to socioeconomic status as well as other demographic factors such as, age and enrolment status. Study findings are discussed in terms of generating support services for the retention of mature-aged students of low socioeconomic status and for the retention of mature-aged students in general.

Mature learners becoming registered nurses: a grounded theory model

Objective: This study describes how mature aged people reconstruct themselves as nursing students. Design: This is a constructivist grounded theory study that used grounded theory methods of concurrent data generation and analysis, coding, developing categories and memoing. Setting: The study was undertaken at the rural campuses of two major Australian universities. The universities were in two different states of Australia. Subjects: Data were gathered through semi‑structured interviews and focus groups over an eighteen month period between January 2006 and June 2007 with fourteen mature aged undergraduate nursing students. These students were in the second or third year of three year baccalaureate degrees that led to registration as registered nurses (titled Registered Nurse Division 1 in the state of Victoria, Australia). Participants’ backgrounds were all slightly different. Two participants were currently employed as enrolled nurses (titled Registered Nurse Division 2 in the state of Victoria, Australia). Three participants were married, two were supporting parents and one participant was in a committed defacto relationship. Only one participant had no children with other participants having between one and seven children aged between one week old and twenty years. Results: This study found that mature aged students experienced three stages in their trajectory of Becoming a registered nurse. These phases were called: Taking the first step; Keeping going; and finally, Letting go and moving forward. Conclusion: Mature aged undergraduate student have different needs to younger students including academic and pastoral support, on campus subsidised childcare and creative timetabling. During each phase of their university journey mature aged undergraduate nursing students developed different skills and knowledge and identified different needs that resulted in both professional and personal growth.

Using Internet-Enabled Mobile Phones to Enhance Large Class Student Engagement: Lessons Learned

The rapid proliferation of mobile phones amongst university students provides unprecedented opportunities for their inclusion in the classroom to enhance student interaction and learning. These opportunities have arisen due to the convergence of mobile phone and internet technology. This paper outlines our experience with the trial of this new technology as a student response system in a large first year marketing principles class. The objective of this trial was to enhance student learning outcomes by creating an active learning environment and providing instantaneous feedback to both student and lecturer using easily accessible technology. This trial was evaluated based on participation rates and the use of student focus groups to explore attitudes and usage of this technology, and compares the views of school-leavers to more mature age students. In general, student attitudes to this type of learning experience were positive, however participation rates were disappointing, with mature-age students more likely to engage than school-leavers. Barriers to participation were found include the uncertainty surrounding mobile phone charges, a cumbersome registration process and a lack of incentive to participate in terms of a link to assessment. Mature-age students were less deterred by cost and effort, and more likely to see the benefits of this form of engagement.

Supporting enrolled nurse conversion – The impact of a compulsory bridging program

In Australia, unlike the UK, two levels of nursing registration have been retained. In developing a course for students to convert from level two to level one of the register, the need for bridging biological science was identified. The one-week course focused on learning strategies and familiarisation with resources in science and aimed to support students to make the transition to university level study. An evaluation of the program examined students' perception of confidence, changes in their learning skills, and the impact of the bridging program on ongoing performance in their degree. Using questionnaires, confidence levels in returning to study, confidence levels in the biological sciences, the initiation of study contacts and the overall impact of the bridging program on university transition were evaluated. Results indicated a 51% increase in overall return to study confidence levels and a 63% increase in confidence with the biological sciences. Students indicated that the bridging program assisted their coping by being exposed to a range of methods, styles and approaches and they had the opportunity to build study contacts. While our research has implications for conversion programs, there are wider implications for the transition of all mature age students to the university sector.

Where Have All the Young Ones Gone: Implications for the Nursing Workforce

The global nursing shortage, coupled with an ageing nursing workforce, has placed significant pressure on the Australian Government to implement strategies to meet future nursing demands as well as develop strategies to manage the current crisis. In response, the Australian government funded additional undergraduate places at universities between 2002 and 2008 and offered financial incentives for nurses who were not currently employed to return to practice. Many undergraduate places at the university (in all disciplines) have been taken up by mature-aged students. The high percentage of graduating, mature-aged nursing students is helping to alleviate the current nursing shortage, but runs the risk of exacerbating the shortage projected to occur around the year 2020. This article postulates that graduating this high percentage of mature-aged nursing students is making a significant contribution to nursing today, helping to alleviate the current nursing shortage. However, it runs the risk of exacerbating the shortage projected to occur around the year 2020. In this article the authors explore the current nursing shortage and the changing educational opportunities that affect recruitment of mature-aged students into tertiary-based nursing programs. Recommendations are provided for appropriate succession planning for the future.

Letting go and moving on: A grounded theory analysis of disengaging from university and becoming a registered nurse

This study describes the third phase of a constructivist grounded theory titled becoming a registered nurse. The study identifies that mature-aged students experience three phases in their university journey. These phases or subcategories are called taking the first step, keeping going and, finally letting go and moving forward. In this article mature students' experiences of letting go and moving forward are explicated. Data gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with mature students from two rural university campuses in Australia are used to illustrate this construct. Grounded theory methods of concurrent data generation and analysis, coding, developing categories and memoing were used. It was found that mature students experienced anxiety as they transitioned out of university and into employment. Despite reports of a nursing crisis in rural Australia some students were unable to find employment in their local rural areas. These students allege that it is not the nursing shortage but rather a shortage of money to pay more nurses that is the real issue. Furthermore mature students did not have a sense of termination of their university studies as there was no formal recognition that they had completed at the time, rather the formal recognition, university graduation, occurred some months after completion.

Embedding Successful Pedagogical Practices: Assessment Strategies for a Large, Diverse, First Year Student Cohort

AbstractThis paper argues that the transition to first year in a diverse, multi-campus, multimodal university provides significant difficulty and disorientation for school leavers and mature age and international students. Consequently, curriculum design for first year students requires an awareness of the need to provide commencing students with a framework for meeting the requirements of the academic environment. This paper illustrates how the successful practice of teaching first year students addresses the learning issues and needs of first year university students through the use of scaffolding and developmental assessment.The case study is from a first year Faculty of Business core course at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. It provides a range of examples of successful pedagogical practices, including examples of scaffolding and developmental assessment embedded within the course materials to support and meet student needs. The strategies to embed these support mechanisms included...

Editors’ Introduction to Special Theme Issue: Meanings Emerging in Practice (Part 2)

Articles in Part 2This issue publishes the second set of refereed papers from the first wave proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Pedagogies and Learning, held at the Springfield Campus of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia on 27 and 28 September 2007. This third conference in the series focused on emerging in as a lens for examining and evaluating multiple enactments of pedagogies and learning.Seven anonymously peer refereed articles have been selected for publication in this second issue. Each article engages with a different theme nominated by the conference organisers as a useful means of identifying whether and how pedagogies and learning can be maximised through meanings emerging in practice.The first article, by Bernadette Lynch, contributes to the theme of researching personal pedagogies by exploring her role in teaching in-text referencing to undergraduate Faculty of Business students at the University of Southern Queensland. Drawing on concepts synthesised from personal pedagogy, reflective practice and cognitive theory, Lynch advocates the careful and systematic use of humour as an antidote to cognitive depletion and as a way of both facilitating effective reflection and (re)kindling irreverence and joy in academics' work. The article provides a fresh perspective on the hardy perennials of student plagiarism and academic integrity.In the second article, Cassandra Star and Jacquelin McDonald engage with the theme of features of successful pedagogical practice by arguing that the transition to first year in a diverse, multi-campus, multimodal university provides significant difficulty and disorientation for school leavers, mature age and international students. The authors report on a case study from a first year Faculty of Business core course at the University of Southern Queensland to outline a successful pedagogy for supporting students through this transition. Key elements of this pedagogy include constructive alignment, formative and developmental assessment, proactive and extensive scaffolding for student learning and a central role for an active online community.Ting Wang and Leah Moore use the third article to consider how exploring the learning style preferences of Chinese postgraduate students in Australian transnational programs offered by the University of Canberra can be considered one manifestation of the theme of developing the globalised learning environment. Reporting an empirical study of pre- and post-questionnaire responses by two groups of students from different parts of China in two Australian offshore Masters programs, the authors highlight considerable diversity in those responses, contesting the assumption that Chinese learners are homogeneous, passive and teacher-dependent. Wang and Moore argue that these results should contribute to helping Australian academics working in transnational programs to understand their students' learning preferences and thereby to maximise their educational outcomes.The fourth article, by Susan Bolt, takes up the theme of meeting the pedagogical challenges in new contexts by investigating problems and possibilities in integrating research, action and learning in the workplace in order to generate productive organisational change. The questionnaire and interview data presented in the article were collected from staff members of a state branch in Western Australia of a large Australian charitable organisation. While the organisation had made significant strides in adapting to changing circumstances and new ideas about work and identity, the data indicated that many workers were not learning optimally and reflected the complexities confronting organisations seeking to promote such optimal learning. …

Academic performance in nursing students: influence of part‐time employment, age and ethnicity

This paper reports a study examining the influence of age, ethnicity and part-time employment on nursing students' academic performance for second year pathophysiology and nursing practice subjects. Age and ethnicity are known to be significant predictors of academic achievement among nursing students. The endemic nursing shortage has increased the impetus to diversify, resulting in more mature-age students and students from diverse ethnic and cultural groups in nursing programmes. There is increasing pressure for nursing students to participate in part-time employment whilst undertaking higher education, and this may affect their academic performance. A prospective, quantitative survey design was used to collect data from a regional university in Australia over a 2-year period from 2001 to 2002. A total of 267 nursing students were included in the study. More than three-quarters (78%) of second year students were participating in paid employment, with the majority in nursing-related jobs. Of those working, half did so more than 16 hours per week during the semester. Students who were not in paid employment had the highest academic achievements in both pathophysiology and nursing practice. Age was positively related with academic performance, but hours of part-time employment and ethnicity were negatively associated with academic performance, with the amount of time spent in paid employment being the strongest predictor of academic performance in both pathophysiology and nursing practice. Working more than 16 hours per week had a detrimental impact on the academic performance of nursing students. More importantly, this study shows that nursing-related employment is not advantageous to students' academic performance, even for a nursing practice-based subject. If the current practice of employing nursing students in clinical settings is to continue, this experience needs to be aligned to the academic curriculum if it is to be beneficial to students' knowledge and skill acquisition.

Relationship Between Adjustment and Support Types: Young and Mature-aged Local and International First Year University Students

First year university is an important transition context for students. The present study examined the relationship between adjustment and support types, sources and levels of support, and satisfaction with levels of support, for first year students in an Australian university. Comparisons were made between young (17–21 year olds) and mature-aged students and local and international students. Findings indicate that well-adjusted students reported higher levels of social companionship support than the less adjusted group. Many students would have liked more support overall. In comparison to the local group, international students would have liked to receive more emotional, practical and informational support. The implications for service provision and university strategies are discussed.

Total learning environment and the implications for rural student nurse retention

Background: Student cohorts are becoming more diverse and universities need to respond accordingly to meet their needs. Differences within cohorts are a priority area for research, in order to identify how universities can best tailor resources to deal with this diversity. Preventing attrition is a significant factor in planning to meet students needs. In the nursing arena, the attrition rate has widespread implications for the nursing workforce, which is experiencing major shortages especially in rural areas. Method and Results: Themes emerging from a review of the literature include the identification of the first year of university as the most difficult. The literature identifies school leavers and mature aged students as having particular problems, as do students from rural areas, and first generation university students. Mature aged women have more issues associated with the pressures of balancing family, part time work and study and may identify with more than one of these categories. Research supports the claim that students from rural and geographically isolated areas and, particularly, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, are more at risk of failure and attrition (Bambrick 2002, Lawrence 2002, Howells 2003). Conclusions: A review of literature on this subject has shown that in order to improve the retention of students from diverse groups, universities must ask students what they perceive to be their needs, and then offer appropriate support (Lawrence 2002). Universities need to get to know their own students. What may be suitable for one cohort and one university may differ from what is suitable for others.

The experiences of a first cohort of Bachelor of Midwifery students, Victoria, Australia

This paper reports on a study the aim of which was to describe the expectations and experiences of a first cohort of students in a three-year Bachelor of Midwifery course, which commenced in Victoria in February 2002. Data were collected via focus group interviews at the commencement of each year, excerpts from the students' reflective journals, selective interviewing of some students and course evaluations at the end of each year of the course. Fourteen of the 20 students, predominantly mature age students, had preconceived ideas with regard to expectations of the course, some of which were met, while some adjustments needed to be made over time. At each year level, students were generally happy with the theoretical component of the course, while identifying some overlap in course content and the need for discrete subjects in areas such as pharmacology. While considering that, by the end of the course, they had achieved a beginning level of competence, the most contentious issue identified by the students was the practical experience, namely the organisation of the practical experience in the agencies, the quality of the experience, the number of follow through experiences and the extensive documentation required.

Should We Still Lecture or Just Post Examination Questions on the Web?: the nature of the shift towards pragmatism in undergraduate lecture attendance

ABSTRACT An empirical study was conducted to gain an understanding of the motivations of undergraduate students in attending lectures. Students were highly heterogeneous regarding their reported lecture attendance motivations, with two segments representing prototypical extremes. The student group labelled ‘idealists’ in this study reported genuinely enjoying lectures, were mature aged students with work experience and more frequently in the arts subjects surveyed. Students labelled ‘pragmatics’ in this study were most highly represented in the commerce subjects surveyed, were among the younger students, reported attending lectures to get the information they need to succeed in the subject and reported the lowest lecture attendance while achieving the highest grade point average of the students in the study. Generally, as opposed to the findings of previous studies into reasons for lecture attendance in the 1970s, a shift towards pragmatism among students seems to have occurred and now defines the reality of the tertiary education environment.

Exploring the first year academic achievement of school leavers and mature-age students through structural equation modelling

One of the most noticeable changes to the university student profile over the last decade is the increasing number of mature-age students. This study examined the relationship between previous academic performance, psychological characteristics of the student, learning strategies, and the first year academic performance of school leavers and mature-age students through structural equation modelling (SEM). A total of 1193 first year university students completed a questionnaire at the beginning of their first year of study, and provided consent for their academic results to be tracked over their first year at university. While the overall model of success appeared to fit for both groups, differences were identified in the order of importance of constructs affecting achievement and the strength of some relationships. The most obvious difference occurred in the relationship between previous academic performance, self-reported learning strategies, and achievement in first semester, with previous performance a more accurate predictor of school leavers' performance and self-reported learning strategies a more accurate predictor of mature-age students' performance. This study has implications for the university in terms of the targeting of academic support services for students of different ages.