Participation Profiles of Adult Undergraduate Students in Turkey

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2, 313 - 327, 31.08.2021

Emine Aruğaslan , Meral Uysal

Öz

In recent years, the profile of the student population in higher education has changed and the number of adult students has begun to
increase gradually. Considering this change, the need for a comprehensive examination of adult students having undergraduate education
in Turkey has arisen. For this reason, this study has been conducted to determine participation dynamics of adult students who decided
to take formal undergraduate education at the age of 25 or older in Turkey. In research, firstly, existing higher education policies and
practices for adult students have been investigated. Then, in a research group, participation patterns of adult undergraduate students have
been examined. The data used in this study was collected from 472 participants in a study group. Participation characteristics such as
the reasons for participation, barriers to participation, program preference reasons of adults were investgated in the context of higher
education.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Lifelong learning, higher education, undergraduate education, adult student, nontraditional student

Türkiye’deki Yetişkin Lisans Öğrencilerinin Katılım Profilleri

Öz

Son yıllarda, yükseköğretimdeki öğrenci nüfusunun profili değişmiş ve yetişkin öğrenci sayısı giderek artmaya başlamıştır. Bu değişim
göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, Türkiye’de lisans eğitimi alan yetişkin öğrencilerin kapsamlı bir şekilde incelenmesi ihtiyacı doğmuştur.
Bu nedenle bu çalışma, Türkiye’de 25 yaş ve üzerinde örgün lisans eğitimi almaya karar veren yetişkin öğrencilerin katılım dinamiklerini
belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırmada öncelikle yetişkin öğrenciler için mevcut yüksek öğrenim politikaları ve uygulamaları
değerlendirilmiştir. Daha sonra bir araştırma grubu üzerinde yetişkin lisans öğrencilerinin katılım örüntüleri incelenmiştir. Araştırma, bir
çalışma grubundan toplanan 472 geçerli veri ile yürütülmüştür. Yetişkinlerin katılım nedenleri, katılım engelleri, program tercih nedenleri
gibi katılım özellikleri yüksek öğretim kapsamında incelenmiştir

Anahtar Kelimeler

Yaşam boyu öğrenme, yükseköğretim, lisans eğitimi, yetişkin öğrenci, geleneksel olmayan öğrenci

Kaynakça

• Allen, B. A. (1993). The student in higher education: Nontraditional student retention. Community Services Catalyst, 23(3), 19–22.
• Aruğaslan, E., & Uysal, M. (2017). Yükseköğretim’de Yetişkin Öğrencilere Yönelik Politikalar.Journal of Research in Educational and Teaching, 6(2), 1-13.
• Banks, J. (2010). Female nontraditional students in higher education (Unpublisheddoctoraldissertation). Indiana University, Indiana.
• Bean, J. P. (1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 12(2), 155–187. doi:10.1007/BF00976194
• Berker, A., & Horn, L. (2003). Work first, study second: Adult undergraduates who combine employment and postsecondary enrollment. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003167.pdf
• Boeren, E., Holford, J., Nicaise, I. & Baert, H. (2012). Why do adults learn? Developing a motivational typology across 12 European countries. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 10(2), 247–269. doi:10.1080/14767724.2012.678764
• Broek, S., & Hake, B. J. (2012). Increasing participation of adults in higher education: Factors for successful policies. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 31(4), 397–417. doi:10.1080/02601370.2012.663801
• Bundy, A. P., & Smith, T. B. (2004). Introduction to the special section-breaking with tradition: Effective counseling services for nontraditional students. Journal of College Counseling, 7(1), 3–4. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-1882.2004.tb00252.x
• Bye, D., Pushkar, D., & Conway, M. (2007). Motivation, interest, and positive affect in traditional and nontraditional undergraduate students. Adult Education Quarterly, 57(2), 141–158.
• CAEL. (1999). Serving adult learners in higher education. Retrieved from https://www.carrollcc.edu/uploadedFiles/CarrollCCedu/Content/PDF/Documents/PTA/Summary%20of%20Alfi%20Principles%20of%20Effectiveness.pdf
• Caruth, G. D. (2013). Andragogy in higher education: Identifying 2010 adult learners in baccalaureate degree-granting institutions (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce.
• Chao, E. L., DeRocco, E. S., & Flynn, M. K. (2007). Adult learners in higher education barriers to success and strategies to improve results. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497801.pdf
• Choy, S. P., & Premo, M. D. (1995). Profile of older undergraduates: 1989-90. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/95167.pdf
• Compton, J. I., Cox, E., & Laanan, F. S. (2006). Adult learners in transition. New Directions for Student Services, 2006(114), 73–80. doi:10.1002/ss.208
• Coulter, X., & Mandell, A. (2012). Adult higher education: Are we moving in the wrong direction? The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 60(1), 40–42. doi:10.1080/07377363.2012.649133
• Creighton, S. & Hodson, L. (2002). Participation trends and patterns in adult education: 1991 to 1999. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002119.pdf
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
• DiSilvestro, F. R. (2013). Continuing higher education and older adults: A growing challenge and golden opportunity. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2013(140), 79–87. doi:10.1002/ace.20076
• Donaldson, J. F., & Townsend, B. K. (2007). Higher education journals’ discourse about adult undergraduate students. The Journal of Higher Education, 78(1), 27–50. doi:10.1353/jhe.2007.0001
• Elliot, D. L., & Brna, P. (2009). ‘I cannot study far from home’: non-traditional learners’ participation in degree education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 33(2), 105–117. doi:10.1080/03098770902856645
• Eurydice. (2000). Lifelong learning: The contribution of education systems in the Member States of the European Union. Retrieved from http://edz.bib.uni-mannheim.de/daten/edz-wf/eud/00/2-87116-294-8-EN.pdf
• Eurydice. (2011). Adults in formal education: Policies and practice in Europe. Retrieved from http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/128EN.pdf.
• Fairchild, E. E. (2003). Multiple roles of adult learners. New Directions for Student Service,2003(102), 11–16. doi:10.1002/ss.84
• Grabowski, S. M. (1972). Motivational Factors of Adult Learners in a Directed Self-Study Bachelor’s Degree Program (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Syracuse Üniversitesi, New York.
• Graham, S., & Donaldson, J. F. (1999). Adult students’ academic and intellectual development in college. Adult Education Quarterly, 49(3), 147–161.
• Harkins, P. M. (2009). The experience of nontraditional students enrolled in a transitions course in an undergraduate program (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Connecticut, United States.
• Hefler, G., & Markowitsch, J. (2010). Formal adult learning and working in Europe: A new typology of participation patterns. Journal of Workplace Learning, 22(1/2), 79–93. doi:10.1108/13665621011012870
• Johnstone, J. W. C. (1963). Volunteers for learning A study of the educational pursuits of American adults. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago.
• Jung, J. C., & Cervero, R. (2002). The social, economic and political contexts of adults’ participation in undergraduate programmes: a state-level analysis. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 21(4), 305–320. doi:10.1080/02601370210140977
• Kasworm, C. E. (1990). Adult undergraduates in higher education: A review of past research perspectives. Review of Educational Research, 60(3), 345–372. doi:10.3102/00346543060003345
• Kasworm, C. E. (2003). Setting the stage: Adults in higher education. New Directions for Student Services, 2003(102), 3–10. doi:10.1002/ss.83
• Kasworm, C. E. (2008). Emotional challenges of adult learners in higher education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2008(120), 27–34. doi:10.1002/ace.313
• Kasworm, C. E. (2010). Adult learners in a research university: Negotiating undergraduate student identity. Adult Education Quarterly, 60(2), 143–160. doi:10.1177/0741713609336110
• Kaya, H. E. (2010). Avrupa Birliği yaşam boyu öğrenme ve yetı̇şkin eğı̇tı̇mi politikaları (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.
• Kwang, K., Hagedorn, M. C., Williamson, J., & Chapman, C. (2004). Participation in adult education and lifelong learning: 2000-01. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004050.pdf
• Kwong, T. M., Mok, Y. F., & Kwong, M. L. (1997). Social factors and adult learners’ motivations in re-entering higher education. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 16(6), 518–534. doi:10.1080/0260137970160605
• Kyndt, E., Michielsen, M., Nooten, L. V., Nijs, S., & Baert, H. (2011). Learning in the second half of the career: stimulating and prohibiting reasons for participation in formal learning activities. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 30(5), 681–699. doi:10.1080/02601370.2011.611905
• Lake, E. D., & Pushchak, A. J. (2007). Better allocating university resources to create on-line learning environments for non-traditional students in underserved rural areas. Innovative Higher Education, 31(4), 215–225. doi:10.1007/s10755-006-9025-5
• Lin, X. (2016). Barriers and challenges of female adult students enrolled in higher education: A literature review. Higher Education Studies, 6(2), 119–126. doi:10.5539/hes.v6n2p119
• Lopuch, V. S. (2015). The new campus landscape: A narrative study of non-traditional undergraduates’ identity construction while enrolled at a traditional private college (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Northeastern University, Boston.
• Malhotra, N. K. (1997). Perceived situational, institutional, and dispositional participation barriers to undergraduate education for nontraditional adult learners at a small, tuition-driven private collage (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of South Florida, Florida.
• McAllister, C. (2010). “This is the beginning of my life educationally”: older (50+ years) working class adults’ participation in higher education in Scotland, through the lens of critical educational gerontology. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 29(5), 547–563. doi:10.1080/02601370.2010.512802
• Merriam, S. B., & Caffarella, R. S. (2001). Participation in adult education. In S. B. Merriam, C. R.S., R. J. Wlodkowski, & P. Cranton (Eds.), Adult learning theories, principles and applications. John Wiley & Sons, INC.
• Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S. & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Morstain, B. R., & Smart, J. C. (1977). A motivational typology of adult learners. The Journal of Higher Education, 48(6), 665–679. doi: 10.1080/00221546.1977.11776584
• Myers, K., Conte, N. & Rubenson, K. (2014). Adult learning typology: Adult learning and returns to training project. Social Research and Demonstration Corporation. Ottawa, Ontario.
• Pollard, E. (2008). University is not just for young people. Institute for Employment Studies DIUS Research Report. Brighton.
• Postan, L. (2014). Adult education and some andragogical dimensions of higher education in the Republic of Moldova. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 142, 127–132. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.621
• Prins, E., Kassab, C., & Campbell, K. (2015). Adult learners in higher education: A rural–urban analysis of Pennsylvania FAFSA applicants’ educational, demographic, and financial characteristics. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 63(2), 71–85. doi:10.1080/07377363.2015.1042999
• Rabourn, K. E., Shoup, R. & Brckalorenz, A. (2015, May). Proceedings from Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research: Barriers in Returning to Learning: Engagement and Support of Adult Learners. Denver: Colorado.
• Roddy, S. (2005). Adults returning to collage (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University Of Oklahoma, Oklahoma. Saar, E., Vöörmann, R., & Lang, A. (2014). Employers’ support for adult higher education students in liberal post-socialist contexts. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33(5), 587–606. doi:10.1080/02601370.2014.945624
• Schuetze, H. G., & Slowey, M. (2002). Participation and exclusion: A comparative analysis of non-traditional students and lifelong learners in higher education. Higher Education, 44(3-4), 309–327. doi:10.1023/A:1019898114335
• Singh, A. K. (2014). Non-traditional students’ quest for higher education: Personal and environmental challenges in a rural community college (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Wilmington University, New Castle.
• Sissel, P. A., Hansman, C. A., & Kasworm, C. E. (2001). The politics of neglect: Adult learners in higher education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2001(91), 17–28. doi:10.1002/ace.27
• Stein, D. S., Wanstreet, C., & Trinko, L. A. (2011). From consideration to commitment: Factors in adults’ decisions to enroll in a higher education degree program. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59(2), 68–76. doi:10.1080/07377363.2011.568820
• Tekin, M. (1988). Ankara ilinde yetişkinleri örgün yetişkin eğitimi programlarına katılmaya güdüleyen etmenler ve yetişkinlerin katılmada karşılaştıkları güçlükler (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.
• Wallace, J. R. (1989). A study of nontraditional-aged undergraduate student enrollment at selected colleges and universities in California (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). United States International University, San Diego.
• Wlodkowski, R. J. (2008). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Imprint.
• YÖK. (2017). Öğrenci afları (6111 ve 6353 sayılı kanunun uygulamaları). Retrieved from http://www.yok.gov.tr/