Over 23 and Over the Hill

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Over 23 and Over the Hill?

• Mature students are often said to be deficient in
  Study skills

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• What do you think?

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Previous Research

• Richardson, (1994)
• Contrast between younger and older students
  approaches to learning
• Meaning orientation
• Reproducing Orientation

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Previous Research Evaluated

• Subject to Bias
• -Response Rate
• -Courses studied- inconsistent

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Approaches to Studying Inventory

• Validity of ASI
• Entwistle Ramsden
• Speth Brown
• Internal Consistency?

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Richardson's Method

• Design Correlation
• 99 Students taking social sciences participated
  in the experiment
• M 29 F 70
• Students over 23yrs classed as Mature
• 60 under age of 23
• 38 over age of 23

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The ASI was used with 8 subscales

• Meaning Orientation
• Deep approach
• Comprehension learning
• Interrelating Ideas
• Use of evidence and logic

• Reproducing Orientation
• - Surface approach
• Improvidence
• Fear of failure
• Syllabus-boundness

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Procedure

• Students had to attend one of two regular classes
• Items presented in same order as original ASI
• Final Examining board held

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Factor Analysis

• 8 first order factors reflected the 8 subscales
• Found under 2 independent second order factors
• Both reflecting two orientations to studying
• Provides further evidence against mature students
  being deficient in the skills needed for
  effective studying.

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Key Findings

• Comparisons of subscales scores
• Mature students score higher on the meaning
  orientation to studying
• Effect of age
• Statistically significant in the case of meaning
  orientation but not reproducing orientation

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Correlation coefficients

• Age Positively correlated with meaning
  orientation
• Age is weakly negatively correlated with
  reproducing orientation

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To Conclude These Findings

• There seems to be no support at all for the
  stereotypical picture of mature students lacking
  basic study skills necessary for effective study
  in higher education. (Richardson, 1994)

• On the contrary, older students, rather than
  their younger counterparts, display those
  learning characteristics which traditionally
  higher education has purported to be striving to
  develop in students. (Harper Kember, 1986)

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Completion rates

• 78 students awarded honour degrees
• 84- mature
• 73- non-mature
• Mature students- complete their degrees in
  minimum period.
• Woodley (1984)

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Why?

• Intrinsic goals
• Habit of secondary education
• Life experience

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Possible Reasons For These Findings

• Academic failure
• Financially
• Personally
• Conscientiousness
• - Doty, 1967 Walker, 1975
• Quality of teaching

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Academic attainment

• Mature students
• 75 got good degrees (1st, upper 2nd)
• Non-mature students
• - 73 got good degrees

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Conclusion

• Enabled comparison between older and younger
  students of the same course, department and
  institution.
• Course enriched by mature students
• Prior life experience promotes a deep approach to
  learning

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Conclusion cont

• Mature students showed academic commitment
• Mature students level of academic attainment as
  high as younger students
• Boon (1980)

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THE END!