Perceptions of the university environment by older male and female students

Abstract

The study investigated the experiences and perceptions of university students of both sexes who were older than usual, in order to explore possible influences upon female educational participation during early adulthood. A population of university students aged 23-25 years was surveyed using a postal questionnaire (N = 568), and then a random sample (N = 111; mean age 24.1 years) of respondents was interviewed. The women did not differ from the men in study satisfaction or the reported supportiveness of teachers and fellow students, but were more likely than men students to report that the sex of their teachers was important to them; their reasons are described. Women students were as committed to study as the men and received similar amounts of encouragement to study from significant others. Thus there was little evidence for lower female participation in tertiary study in early adulthood being due to women's perceptions of the university environment, and alternative lines of research are suggested.