Abstract
Many first-in-family (FiF) students begin their university journey not as traditional school leavers, but as mature-age students who have busy family lives, often with young children, as well as working lives to manage. While families can be powerful sources of inspiration, support and encouragement, their demands and expectations can also be problematic and stressful, at times needing careful negotiation. This chapter explores the role that family played in the lives of the mature-age students with children, who formed a significant part of the cohort in Study B. The positive contribution of family, the challenges arising from family needs and demands, and the implications of gendered practices of child care and domestic responsibilities are examined. This chapter also points to the need for institutions to better understand and accommodate the particular needs of parent-students.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Australian Department of Education and Training. (2016). Higher education statistics. Available from: https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics. Accessed 25 July 2016.
Bagnall, R. (2006). Ethical issues in lifelong learning and education. In J. Chapman, P. Cartwright, & E. J. McGilp (Eds.), Lifelong learning, participation and equity. Dordrecht: Springer.
Bourdieu, P. (1990). In other words: Essays towards a reflexive sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H., & Scales, B. (2008). Review of Australian higher education: Final report (Bradley review). Canberra: DEEWR.
Clancy, P., & Goastellec, G. (2007). Exploring access and equity in higher education: Policy and performance in a comparative perspective. Higher Education Quarterly, 61(2), 136–154.
Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The treasure within (Report to UNESCO). UNESCO Publishing. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001095/109590eo.pdf. Accessed 23 February 2017.
Edgerton, J., & Roberts, L. (2014). Cultural capital or habitus? Bourdieu and beyond in the explanation of enduring educational inequality. Theory and Research in Education, 12(2), 193–220.
Edwards, R. (1993). Mature women students: Separating or connecting families. London: Taylor and Francis.
Edwards, R., Hanson, A., & Raggatt, P. (1996). Boundaries of adult learning. London\New York: Routledge in association with The Open University.
Hinton-Smith, T. (2012). Lone parents’ experiences as higher education students: Learning to juggle. Leicester: National Institute of Adult Continuing Education.
Hook, G. A. (2015). Recognition and accountability: Sole parent postgraduates in university conditions. Gender and Education, 27(2), 114–130.
Hughes, C. (2002). Feminist theory and research. London: Sage Publications.
Leonard, M. (1994). Transforming the household: Mature women students and access to higher education. In S. Davies, C. Lubelska, & J. Quinn (Eds.), Changing the subject: Women in higher education (pp. 163–177). London: Taylor & Francis.
Longhurst, R., Hodgetts, D., & Stolte, O. (2012). Placing guilt and shame: Lone mothers’ experiences of higher education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Social & Cultural Geography, 13(3), 295–312.
Longworth, N. (2004). Lifelong learning in action. London: Routledge/Falmer.
Marandet, E., & Wainwright, E. (2010). Invisible experiences: Understanding the choices and needs of university students with dependent children. British Educational Research Journal, 36(5), 787–805.
May, J., & Bunn, R. (2015). 1974–1976: The seeds of longevity in a pathway to tertiary participation at University of Newcastle, NSW. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 55(1), 135–152.
McGivney, V. (2006). Attracting new groups into learning: Lessons from research in England. In J. Chapman, P. Cartwright, & J. E. McGilp (Eds.), Lifelong learning, participation and equity (pp. 79–91). Dordrecht: Springer.
McNay, L. (2000). Gender and agency: Reconfiguring the subject in feminist and social theory. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Morrison, M. (1996). Part-time: Who’s time? Women’s lives and adult learning. In R. Edwards, A. Hanson, & P. Raggatt (Eds.), Boundaries of adult learning (pp. 211–231). London: Routledge.
O’Shea, S. (2007). Well I got here but what happens next? Exploring the narratives of first year female students who are the first in the family to attend university. Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 29, 36–51.
O’Shea, S., & Stone, C. (2014). The hero’s journey: Stories of women returning to education. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 5(1), 79–91.
OECD. (1996). Lifelong learning for all. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Park, J.-H., & Choi, H. J. (2009). Factors influencing adult learners’ decision to drop out or persist in online learning. Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 207–217.
Quinn, J. (2005). Belonging in a learning community: The re-imagined university and imagined social capital. Studies in the Education of Adults, 37(1), 4–17.
Reay, D., Ball, S., & David, M. (2002). ‘It’s taking me a long time but I’ll get there in the end’: Mature students on access courses and higher education choice. British Educational Research Journal, 28(1), 5–19.
Skilbeck, M. (2006). Lifelong learning for all: The challenge to adults and communities. In J. Chapman, P. Cartwright, & J. E. McGilp (Eds.), Lifelong learning, participation and equity. Dordrechts: Springer.
Stone, C. (2008). Listening to individual voices and stories—The mature age student experience. Australian Journal of Adult Education, 48(2), 263–290.
Stone, C., & O’Shea, S. (2012). Transformations and self-discovery: Stories of women returning to education. Champaign: Common Ground Publishing.
Stone, C., & O’Shea, S. (2013). Time, money, leisure and guilt—The gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 53(1), 95–116.
Wainwright, E., & Marandet, E. (2010). Parents in higher education: Impacts of university learning on the self and the family. Educational Review, 62(4), 449–465.
Wilson, F. (1997). The construction of paradox? One case of mature students in higher education. Higher Education Quarterly, 51(4), 347–366.
Wolf-Wendel, L., & Ward, K. (2003). Future prospects for women faculty: Negotiating work and family. In B. Ropers-Huilman (Ed.), Gendered futures in higher education (pp. 111–134). Albany: State University of New York Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
O’Shea, S., May, J., Stone, C., Delahunty, J. (2017). Parents Managing University and Family Life. In: First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58284-3_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58284-3_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58283-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58284-3
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)