Dr Stavroula Kaldi, University of Thessaly, Greece Mature students in England, Greece and Portugal: a new landscape in higher education Dr Stavroula Kaldi, University of Thessaly, Greece Dr Vivienne Griffiths, University of Sussex, UK Dr Ana Luisa Oliveira Pires, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Portugal

Motivation to enter or re-enter higher education Focus of study Profile of mature students entering or returning to higher education in Greece, England & Portugal Motivation to enter or re-enter higher education Prior experience of mature students Learning strategies to meet course requirements Coping strategies to meet family and/or job commitments Implications for university departments An investigation of the personal & professional identities of mature students in England, Greece and Portugal, to highlight their background experiences, why they decided to enter or re-enter higher education, and key factors which affect their progress in academic & social spheres. Context for the study is widening participation in higher & professional education in EU countries, with increasing diversity in the student body. In Greece, for example, numbers entering HE have doubled since the 1990s. Shortages of primary teachers have led to an increase in mature students in university departments of primary education, most of whom are already graduates. In England, employment-based routes such as the GTP have targeted mature students in order to increase recruitment. Trainee teachers are employed by the schools and earn a small salary. Research context is a growing body of literature on mature students, particularly women, highlighting characteristics and needs of mature learners and the range of constraints, including personal factors such as domestic responsibilities. Very little on mature student teachers: positive qualities which older entrants bring to teaching as well as difficulties faced by them in juggling multiple roles and responsibilities.

Mixed-methods: quantitative and qualitative Research methodology Mixed-methods: quantitative and qualitative England: questionnaires and interviews Greece: biographical interviews Sample of 30 mature students each in Greece and England Portugal: applications and questionnaires 90 applicants and 39 admitted to courses Age range in all three countries 24-45 Predominance of women in all 3 countries Average age of participants was 32. All but one were graduates; 8 of the Greek sample had completed degrees in pre-school education or childcare & most of the sample had some teaching experience or had worked with children. In Greece, many informal discussions took place on the bus, as the researcher & several of the student teachers travelled a long way to get to the university. We would argue that a life history approach is particularly suitable for investigating individual experiences of older students.

Main findings Different application procedures and entry requirements in each country led to differing opportunities for adult learners Mature students in all three countries demonstrated high motivation to study Most adult learners had considerable prior experience, especially in chosen subject Some gender and age factors High motivation to enter or re-enter higher education in all three countries. In Greece, pragmatic reasons for entering primary teaching were particularly high because of the shortage of primary teachers, and personal reasons often developed later. In England, most students (especially women) had made a planned progression into teaching. All had a mixture of reasons and there were differences within the sample in each country, e.g. gender differences. Financial support was important, particularly in Greece, and most Greek students also had jobs; while in England the small salary earned on the GTP enabled most to be full time student teachers.

Entry requirements England: no quota for numbers of mature students, though target numbers overall National entry requirements for teaching courses via central registry Greece: mature student entry to teaching courses limited to 9% of total entry Written exams form entry requirements for mature students Portugal: special access regime; mature students can apply without a previous degree; quota of 5% of total entry CV and motivation evaluation, written examination

Motivation England and Greece: high motivation to teach and mixture of extrinsic and intrinsic reasons Portugal: 80% of applicants made only one choice, indicating high motivation for chosen subject Motivation towards learning: epistemic and personal reasons are in first place, followed by professional reasons Some gender differences in subject or area chosen in all three countries

Prior experience Greece: all but one had first degrees All but two had prior experience in teaching-related work, some considerable England: mixture of first degrees, degree equivalents and access routes All but two had work experience, half of these with children and young people. Some had planned preparation for teaching

Prior experience Portugal: different schooling levels, different routes to H.E. All students had prior work experience High consistency between work experience and chosen degree In the education degree, all students had experience in teaching related-work

Learning strategies Greece: Mature peer support during the course; developed networks of exchanging news and knowledge about the course; applied study skills of previous course England: Strong mentoring in schools and university tutor support. Peer support also strong. Portugal: no special arrangements for mature students; peer support identical to the other students; Recognition of prior experiential learning is being implemented in the polytechnic institute order to recognize and credit prior experiential learning.

Coping strategies to meet family/job commitments Finance (fees) were considered a major obstacle to learning in all three contexts. Greece: Great family support ,both financial and psychological Students developed positive attitudes and images about their decision to study England: Students pared down domestic responsibilities as far as possible, with partners providing strong support in most cases. Most students were able to obtain some financial support, such as a bursary or student loan. Portugal: The two main difficulties / obstacles felt by the students are the conciliation between academic and family/ job commitments (90%) and between academic and personal and social life (81%) Despite difficulties, the majority of students in all three contexts had considerable academic success.

Conclusions Mature students have considerable strengths and skills to offer higher education courses Prior knowledge and experience are highly beneficial Motivation to enter or re-enter higher education is strong but involves financial difficulties for some mature students However, many adult learners fail to gain places because of quota system and stringent requirements in Greece and Portugal Learning strategies include peer support in all countries Coping strategies included ……………..

Recommendations University departments need to: reconsider application procedures for mature students where these inhibit entry draw on prior knowledge and experience of mature students more fully build in extra time and support where needed, including time for peer support HEIs need to acknowledge the strengths and benefits of mature students rather than seeing them as problems. More work needs to be done in identifying ways of incorporating prior experience more fully into courses, as well as identifying learning needs of mature students returning to study.