Mature Age Male Students In Higher Education

This book explores the unique set of challenges faced by mature-age male undergraduates as they adapt to university study. The authors examine the motivations of mature male students for enrolling in higher education and their aspirations for life after graduation, in doing so filling a crucial gap in the current literature. Later access to higher education carries numerous benefits, including improved social mobility: it is therefore paramount to understand why men tend to be underrepresented among mature students. Exploring the intersections of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture and gender, and paying careful attention to the stories of the students themselves, the authors provide a thought-provoking analysis of an underrepresented student group. The book will be of interest and value to students and scholars of mature-age male students, and aspirations and motivations within higher education more generally.

Changes in the working and personal lives of adults as a result of completing a bachelor's degree as a mature-age student were studied in Australia. Also considered were students' progress through the degree, patterns of employment while enrolled, and additional formal higher education after completing (or withdrawing from) the program. The study population consisted of people aged 25 or over who began a bachelor's degree in 1978. Information was obtained on: areas of study, enrollment patterns, external students, part-time study, self-report of academic performance, relationship between education and job, occupational level, job prospect, job satisfaction, unemployment, changes in personal development, changes in abilities, leisure time activities, and impact on marital relations. Appendices include: the questionnaire and index of aspects of study variables, a comparison of age subsamples, and a comparison of first-year withdrawers and graduate subsamples. Microfiche of the data (representing 208 pages of computer printouts) were enclosed with the report but are not included in ERIC. (SW)

While powerful gender inequalities remain in American society, women have made substantial gains and now largely surpass men in one crucial arena: education. Women now outperform men academically at all levels of school, and are more likely to obtain college degrees and enroll in graduate school. What accounts for this enormous reversal in the gender education gap? In The Rise of Women: The Growing Gender Gap in Education and What It Means for American Schools, Thomas DiPrete and Claudia Buchmann provide a detailed and accessible account of women’s educational advantage and suggest new strategies to improve schooling outcomes for both boys and girls. The Rise of Women opens with a masterful overview of the broader societal changes that accompanied the change in gender trends in higher education. The rise of egalitarian gender norms and a growing demand for college-educated workers allowed more women to enroll in colleges and universities nationwide. As this shift occurred, women quickly reversed the historical male advantage in education. By 2010, young women in their mid-twenties surpassed their male counterparts in earning college degrees by more than eight percentage points. The authors, however, reveal an important exception: While women have achieved parity in fields such as medicine and the law, they lag far behind men in engineering and physical science degrees. To explain these trends, The Rise of Women charts the performance of boys and girls over the course of their schooling. At each stage in the education process, they consider the gender-specific impact of factors such as families, schools, peers, race and class. Important differences emerge as early as kindergarten, where girls show higher levels of essential learning skills such as persistence and self-control. Girls also derive more intrinsic gratification from performing well on a day-to-day basis, a crucial advantage in the learning process. By contrast, boys must often navigate a conflict between their emerging masculine identity and a strong attachment to school. Families and peers play a crucial role at this juncture. The authors show the gender gap in educational attainment between children in the same families tends to be lower when the father is present and more highly educated. A strong academic climate, both among friends and at home, also tends to erode stereotypes that disconnect academic prowess and a healthy, masculine identity. Similarly, high schools with strong science curricula reduce the power of gender stereotypes concerning science and technology and encourage girls to major in scientific fields. As the value of a highly skilled workforce continues to grow, The Rise of Women argues that understanding the source and extent of the gender gap in higher education is essential to improving our schools and the economy. With its rigorous data and clear recommendations, this volume illuminates new ground for future education policies and research.

Are you considering changing jobs but require a new skill or qualification? Would you like a new challenge or a sense of personal achievement? Have you considered higher education, but weren't sure how to make that first step into it? If so, then this is the ideal book for you. The Mature Student's Guide to Higher Education tells you everything you need to know if you are thinking about returning to education as a mature student. It discusses a wide range of issues including what higher education involves, how you should prepare for it and how to balance your time and cheque book once you get there. This book will explain practical issues, as well as addressing your doubts and fears about higher education as a life choice. The book: Helps you understand the different routes into higher education Explains the mysteries behind admissions procedures Encourages you to develop a new range of skills, building on the skills you already have Gives you guidance on how to manage change, time and family commitments Helps you overcome barriers like a lack of motivation or confidence Expertly guides you through the systems of fees, showing the loans and financial help that are available The Mature Student's Guide to Higher Education provides the most accessible and up-to-date help on how to make an informed decision about when, where and how to start a suitable higher education course as a mature student - and the career path that might follow.

·What is the policy background to current interest in retention and student success? ·What causes students to leave institutions without completing their programmes? ·How can theory and research help institutions to encourage student success? Retention and completion rates are important measures of the performance of institutions and higher education systems. Understanding the causes of student non-completion is vital for an institution seeking to increase the chances of student success. The early chapters of this book discuss retention and student success from a public policy perspective. The later chapters concentrate on theory and research evidence, and on how these can inform institutional practices designed to enhance retention and success (particularly where students are enrolled from disadvantaged backgrounds). This book draws upon international experience, particularly from the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and the United States. Retention and Student Success in Higher Education is essential reading for lecturers, support staff, and senior managers in higher education institutions, and for those with a wider policy interest in these matters.

An examination of the experiences of non-traditional adult women students, exploring the interaction of structure and agency and the significance of macro and micro levels in shaping attitudes and behaviour. Life histories are related to student careers as individuals and collectively as subcultural groups and a sample of male adult students is included to clarify gender issues