Pursuit Of Postsecondary Education Research Articles

“You’re a Mature Student and You’re a Tiny, Tiny Little Fish in a Big Massive Pond of Students”: A Thematic Analysis Investigating the Institutional Support Needs of Partnered Mature Students in Postsecondary Study

Mature students in postsecondary education—those over 25 years of age, also known as nontraditional students or adult learners—make up a significant minority population on Canadian postsecondary campuses. Despite academic performance that tends to be higher than that of traditional students, the retention of mature students is lower due to the stressors they face in their home and school roles. This paper examines the insights of mature students and their intimate partners on how higher education institutions can provide better supports to make postsecondary programs and campuses more accessible to adult learners and enable their success. A sample of 25 mature postsecondary students enrolled in Canadian higher education institutions and their partners participated in dyadic interviews that explored the connections between their relationship and school experiences. A data-driven, inductive thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews found three themes that focused on the institutional support needs of partnered mature students, highlighting the need to (1) increase institutional knowledge and awareness of mature students’ needs, (2) offer flexible study options to complete courses and program requirements, and (3) provide relevant supports and programs. Mature students felt marginalized at their institutions related to the programs, instructors, staff, resources, and supports that are strongly focused on traditional-aged and circumstanced students. Recommendations are provided for higher education institutions to provide resources and supports that meet mature students’ unique needs to both access and be successful in their pursuit of postsecondary education.

The importance of neurodivergent mentorship for the development of professional identity

Neurodivergent students are often under-supported in their pursuit of post-secondary education, which can negatively impact engagement and academic outcomes. There is limited research examining the potential of neurodivergent mentorship models within post-secondary education. This opinion piece presents two case studies based on the real-world experiences of neurodivergent mentors and mentees to explore the proposed benefits of neurodivergent mentorship in occupational therapy education. The experiences of neurodivergent mentors and mentees can be used to promote access, equity, inclusivity and justice within healthcare professions.

A holistic analysis of the effects on tangible domains of a multi-domain independent living program

ABSTRACT This study explored the effectiveness of a multi-domain Independent Living Program (ILP) in providing services to older foster youth transitioning to adulthood in a largely white sample. The study involved analysis of 119 Independent Living (IL) plans of 97 current and former foster youth between the ages of 14 and 21. The plans focused on seven domains central to successful transition to adulthood. A checklist of goals for all seven domains of the ILP was used to determine which goals were focused on, and the former IL coordinator and staff determined if goals were achieved. This paper addressed results regarding tangible domains of education, employment, housing, and life skills. Results showed that the ILP was successful in life skills training in areas such as budgeting and homemaking skills, permanency, high school graduation, seeking employment, and use of career services. It showed weaknesses in the areas of setting long-term goals, pursuit of postsecondary education, and life skills such as driving. Future research should involve randomized control trials of ILPs or more diverse samples.

Predicting the Pursuit of Post-Secondary Education: Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence in a Longitudinal Study.

Trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a constellation of emotional self-perceptions and dispositions related to perceiving, understanding, using, and managing emotions of self and others. Although higher trait EI has been implicated in post-secondary success among university students. There is lack of evidence for whether it predicts the pursuit of post-secondary education (PSE) in emerging adulthood. This was the first study to investigate the role of trait EI in PSE pursuit using a large, nationally-representative sample of Canadian young adults who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey for Children and Youth (NLSCY). Participants in this dataset reported on their PSE status at three biennial waves (age 20–21, 22–23, and 24–25), and completed a four-factor self-report scale for trait EI (Emotional Quotient Inventory: Mini) at ages 20–21 and 24–25. Higher trait EI subscale scores were significantly associated with greater likelihood of PSE participation both concurrently, and at 2- and 4-year follow-ups. Overall, these associations were larger for men than women. The finding that these links persisted over a multi-year period is particularly promising, as it represents an important validation step toward further investment in socioemotional competencies as part of youth development interventions.

A Decade’s Difference

This study is a quantitative descriptive research design which compared 1995 and 2005 data regarding family influence on rural Pennsylvania high school seniors’ postsecondary decisions. A chi-square analysis at p < 0.05 determined that there was (a) an increase in students planning college attendance, (b) a decrease in students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans, (c) an increase in students planning college attendance who did not have parents with postsecondary schooling, (d) a decrease in students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans who did not have parents with postsecondary schooling, (e) an increase in lower-middle class students planning to attend college, and (f) a decrease in lower-middle class students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans. There was no significant difference in students’ postsecondary plans when siblings’ pursuit of postsecondary education was considered.

Disrupting an imposed racial identity or performing the model minority? The pursuit of postsecondary education by young African immigrant men in Southern Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT This article examines how young African immigrant men in Southern Ontario cope with the dominant racial identity at school in an effort to improve their academic performance and access postsecondary education (PSE). Critical race theory in education is employed to explain how the young men distance themselves from stereotypes about Black masculinity by regulating their own behaviour and differentiating themselves from their Caribbean immigrant peers. Sixty-seven young men who had immigrated to Southern Ontario from several African countries over the last 10 years were interviewed individually and in focus groups for the study. The findings suggest that the research participants adopted a model minority status within an educational system that clearly embodies racist and systemically oppressive frameworks.

Family assets, postsecondary education, and students with disabilities: Building on progress and overcoming challenges

Abstract Students with disabilities are increasingly enrolling and participating in two-year, four-year, and other institutions of higher education. Federal policies and initiatives addressing the educational needs of students and adults with disabilities provided impetus for these increases. For example, mandates within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) have resulted in K-12 public schools increasingly preparing students for postsecondary education. Nonetheless, students with disabilities continue to face financial challenges as well as low educational expectations in their pursuit of postsecondary education. Family assets may provide a framework for addressing these challenges and provide specific implications for policy as well as educational practice.

Public and Private Lives: Institutional Structures and Personal Supports in Low-Income Single Mothers’ Educational Pursuits

Drawing on a case study of 60 low-income single mothers in California, I present a grounded account of the barriers and supports single mothers encounter in their pursuit of postsecondary education (PSE) and detail what the women themselves attributed to their success. I highlight the role both significant others (peers, family, friends) and institutional structures (the county welfare department and a community college district) played in their access and persistence within a community college district. In doing so, I provide a rich portrait of single mothers’ pursuits of postsecondary education to inform the empirical research gaps in the literature on the effects of welfare reform on the pursuit of PSE. I find that not only does the support of significant others play an important role in single mothers’ access of PSE, but that referrals to PSE from the county welfare department were as equally important—a finding that counters the dominant discussion in scholarly work on the barriers welfare departments pose to welfare recipients’ pursuit of PSE. Supportive significant others remained an important factor in the women’s abilities to persist in their postsecondary pursuits, but the women also cited student support programs designed to address the needs of low-income students as facilitating their persistence. The implications for the impact of welfare department practices, community college support structures and close networks of significant others on low-income single mothers’ access and persistence in a community college district are discussed.

The Pursuit of Postsecondary Education: A Comparison of First Nations, African, Asian, and European Canadian Youth*

Utilisant l'Enquête auprès des jeunes en transition (EJET), sondage longitudinal nationalement représentatif, l'auteur examine l'argument voulant que les résultats éducationnels inférieurs de diverses minorités visibles et d'immigrants seraient attribués à leurs désavantages socioéconomiques, tandis que les résultats supérieurs des autres minorités visibles auraient pour cause leur soutien culturel. Les analyses rapportent des inégalités non négligeables dans le parcours pédagogique des Premières nations, des minorités visibles et des immigrants. Cependant, ni leur emplacement structurel ni leurs attributs culturels (ni les deux ensemble) n'expliquent entièrement les différences de leur parcours pédagogique ni ne peuvent être réduits à un simple modèle dans lequel les désavantages structurels détermineraient les résultats inférieurs et les facteurs culturels les supérieurs.Using the nationally representative longitudinal Youth in Transition Survey, this paper examines the argument that inferior educational outcomes of various visible minorities and immigrants can be attributed to their socio‐economic disadvantages, while superior outcomes of other visible minorities is due to their cultural supports. The analyses document sizeable inequalities in educational pathways of First Nations, visible minorities, and immigrants. However, neither structural location nor cultural attributes (nor both in conjunction) totally account for differences in their educational pathways nor can they be reduced to a simple pattern whereby structural disadvantages account for inferior pathways and cultural factors for superior ones.