Back to School: An Examination of the Evening University and the Caribbean's Nontraditional Student

Abstract

The Evening University (EU) programme at the University of the West Indies offers an opportunity for working adults and nontraditional students to earn undergraduate degrees. A qualitative framework was used to explore the reasons those enrolled in this programme sought tertiary education and to identify any challenges they faced throughout their tertiary career. Two focus group interviews were conducted with 16 participants who were asked to discuss factors influencing their decision to enroll in the EU and the challenges faced while studying for their undergraduate degrees. Since this research also aimed to evaluate students’ opinions of the EU programme, participants were also asked to give their assessment of the programme. The findings revealed that students were motivated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Balancing study responsibilities with employment demands proved to be most challenging. Respondents expressed disappointment with their experience in the Evening University programme.

Keywords:

• Caribbean
• motivation
• nontraditional student
• Trinidad