Tag: non-traditional

Posted on

A farmer becomes a social pedagogue: A psycho-societal approach

Author: Karsten Mellon
Roskilde University, Denmark

Edition: Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016

Summary: In Denmark various non-traditional students are mature-age students who already have some kind of a vocational background. When applying to do a professional degree, most of them fall outside the traditional admission requirements, which is why individual assessment of applicants is necessary for bachelor programmes. This article examines the case of a woman named Amy, a mature, nontraditional university college student who becomes a social pedagogue. Because of severe allergies, Amy had to quit her job as a farmer and began to study to become a social pedagogue. Becoming a social pedagogue is a tremendously complex process that involves taking on a new professional identity and acquiring new skills. In order to ascertain the extent of this complexity, this article uses a psychosocietal approach derived from a Danish/German life history research approach. This article offers a brief presentation of the theoretical and methodological framework applied before analysing the process Amy undergoes to become a social pedagogue. The analysis demonstrates that this type of significant career change is demanding and, for Amy, filled with feelings of ambivalence and defensiveness.

Keywords: psycho-societal approach, life history, non-traditional, adult learner, social pedagogue, becoming

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Time, money, leisure and guilt – the gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students

Author: Cathy Stone: Open Universities Australia and The University of Newcastle, Australia

Edition: Volume 53, Number 1, April 2013

Summary: Two qualitative research projects examined the impact of university study on two cohorts of mature-age students at a regional university in Australia. All the students interviewed had entered university via non-traditional pathways and had faced significant hurdles in gaining university entrance and continuing with their studies. The influence of gender on their experiences of managing home, family and work responsibilities in combination with their responsibilities as students is examined. Issues such as lack of time and money, self-sacrifice and guilt emerged strongly from the stories of these students as they struggled to manage their multiple responsibilities. The gendered nature of these struggles is explored.

Keywords: university, mature-age, regional, non-traditional, pathway, student, hurdle

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail  Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 53_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.