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Abstract
While the numbers of part-time students has increased in higher education in Ireland, little is known about these students or about how they balance their study and other commitments. Drawing on a larger study on Irish students’ experiences in higher education, this article attempts to address this gap in research and reports on Irish part-time undergraduate students’ socio-demographic and institutional characteristics. It further explores the balance between part-time students’ academic study and their life situations. The article proposes some recommendations with regard to policy concerning part-time students, particularly in the area of financial support available to part-time learners. It also calls for expanding opportunities for participation in part-time study in the light of changing demography and provision of resources to facilitate students’ participation in higher education. Although the findings of this article broadly agree with those of international studies, more research is needed into the experiences of part-time students in higher education.
Acknowledgements
This article draws on data collected for a study Eurostudent II, funded by the Higher Education Authority.
Notes
1. However, the most recent National Plan for Equity of Access includes policy objectives on part-time provision and student supports (Higher Education Authority 2008b). The national plan also includes a target of 17% participation for flexible/part-time provision by 2013.
2. The latter is more likely the case when there is a direct alignment between a field of study and a type of job, effectively changing the meaning from participating in education into participating in training.
3. The Labour Force survey in 2005 showed that, in the EU, the average percentage of the population aged 25–64 participating in education and training is 11.0%. Ireland's percentage is 8.0%. Both figures are below the EU Benchmark for 2010 of 12.5% (OECD Citation2007, 2).
4. For the purposes of this article, and consistent with the parameters of the Eurostudent Survey on which the field work is based, part-time students are those who attended university, institutes of technology or colleges of education. Students attended private colleges are not included in the cohort.
5. Similarly, access routes and progression paths among part-time learners can vary significantly, making comparisons and generalisations difficult and unreliable.
6. It is important to acknowledge that the systems of part-time provision vary greatly in different countries and in different sectors. Differences include funding mechanisms, numbers of adult learners and the varying traditions that shape that provision. However, while the systems may vary, the issues reported by students tend to be similar.
7. The template was created by HIS – co-ordinators of the project – which left little room for including additional questions.
8. As indicated above the term part-time course may be used to describe any form of learning, from leisure to professional education. The term part-time in this article refers to certificate, diploma and degree courses in higher education.
9. The survey took place in 2004. There have been subsequent changes in qualification levels in higher education.
10. NVivo is a software programme used for managing and analysing qualitative data.