Mature‐age access students: affective support in the open foundation experience

Abstract

There is a considerable body of published research which describes the experience of adult students, especially women, entering formal tertiary programs, and a lively forum for discussion of equity principles and their application to mature‐age access students, as well as the curricula and instructional strategies appropriate to such courses. However, the affective area of support is another issue, and one which usually lags behind other considerations when access courses are nudged in a new direction. The difficulty of evaluating programs in the affective domain is certainly one of the reasons for this lag, but the first is probably the subjective nature of the data on which the psychological effects of educational disadvantage must be assessed This paper discusses the impact of the access course situation upon mature‐age students at Newcastle University, in the light of recruitment modes and student support structures. It is hoped that continued discussion will lead us to valuable insights into the characteristics and perceptions of non‐traditional students, and thus to more satisfying outcomes for those embarking on the uncharted waters of tertiary education.