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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Higher education study in later life
— what is the point? | | Author(s) | Anne Jamieson |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 27, part 3, May 2007 |
| Pages | pp 363-384 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/jid_ASO |
| Keywords | University education ; Courses ; Economic status [elderly] ; Social surveys. |
| Annotation | Whilst research on older learners is growing - particularly the benefits of the learning process itself - little is known about those who engage in higher education study. This article reports a study of older people in higher education, their socio-economic characteristics and the motivations and reported benefits of their studies. The findings are based on a survey of graduates from two UK higher education institutions specialising in part-time study provision, Birkbeck, University of London, and the Open University (OU). The study population is distinctive in two respects: their participation in the accreditation process, and that they complete with a formal qualification. It is shown that, whilst a sizeable proportion of the middle-aged and older students are well-off and well-educated, there is also considerable heterogeneity and that many are making up for opportunities lost earlier in life. A substantial proportion of the 'middle-aged' graduates still saw qualifications as a pathway to enhanced employment opportunities, whereas the older graduates placed more weight on wider benefits. The qualification was seen as an important aspect of their chosen study. Using the responses to qualitative interviews, the article explores the role of the qualification in the lives of the older graduates, and illustrates how this particular kind of study is an element of their strategies to manage the transition from work to retirement, and to make life in retirement more meaningful. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-070426003 A |
| Classmark | V7M: VE: F:W: 3F |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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