Constructing a 'Mature Student' Identity

Advocates of lifelong learning promise positive§change for individuals and society; however, the§transition to university is not easy for mature§students. The discourse of the typical 'student'§identity (marked by a youthful freedom from parental§control) marginalizes many adult learners, who are§portrayed as focusing mainly on parenting, employment§or other 'adult' issues. The social acceptance of§these competing discourses, and their influence on§academic policy, affects both the construction of a student identity and students academic information§behaviours. This book presents the results of a§study, grounded in a postmodern framework of social§constructionism, which explores student identities§and the academic and informational experiences of§mature students returning to undergraduate studies.§The project combined qualitative interviews with§students, discourse analysis of the university and§social texts on student life, and a quantitative§examination of the Canadian Census. The findings call§for future research and academic practices that are§designed to suit students individual academic and§informational needs, rather than stereotypical§discursive constructions.