SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2

Participation Profiles of Adult Undergraduate Students in Turkey

Türkiye’deki Yetişkin Lisans Öğrencilerinin Katılım Profilleri

Emine Aruğaslan(Isparta Uygulamalı Bilimler Üniversitesi, Uzaktan Eğitim Meslek Yüksekokulu)0000-0002-8153-9117
Meral Uysal(Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi)0000-0002-8443-6375
Pages
313–327
Publication Date
2021-08-31
DOI
—
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Participation characteristics such as the reasons for participation, barriers to participation, program preference reasons of adults were investgated in the context of higher education.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis: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.
📊
Key Findings & Data: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.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Participation characteristics such as the reasons for participation, barriers to participation, program preference reasons of adults were investgated in the context of higher education.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Yaşam boyu öğrenme · yükseköğretim · lisans eğitimi

Abstract

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.

Özet

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

🔖

Cite This Article

Aruğaslan, E., Uysal, M. (2021). Participation Profiles of Adult Undergraduate Students in Turkey. Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2, 313–327. https://ajindex.com/articles/1316494

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (59)

  1. Allen, B. A. (1993). The student in higher education: Nontraditional student retention. Community Services Catalyst, 23(3), 19–22.
  2. Aruğaslan, E., & Uysal, M. (2017). Yükseköğretim’de Yetişkin Öğrencilere Yönelik Politikalar.Journal of Research in Educational and Teaching, 6(2), 1-13.
  3. Banks, J. (2010). Female nontraditional students in higher education (Unpublisheddoctoraldissertation). Indiana University, Indiana.
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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.
  10. 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
  11. 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.
  12. 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
  13. Choy, S. P., & Premo, M. D. (1995). Profile of older undergraduates: 1989-90. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/95167.pdf
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. Creighton, S. & Hodson, L. (2002). Participation trends and patterns in adult education: 1991 to 1999. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002119.pdf
  17. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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.
  23. Fairchild, E. E. (2003). Multiple roles of adult learners. New Directions for Student Service,2003(102), 11–16. doi:10.1002/ss.84
  24. 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.
  25. Graham, S., & Donaldson, J. F. (1999). Adult students’ academic and intellectual development in college. Adult Education Quarterly, 49(3), 147–161.
  26. 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.
  27. 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
  28. 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.
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. 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
  32. 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
  33. 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
  34. Kaya, H. E. (2010). Avrupa Birliği yaşam boyu öğrenme ve yetı̇şkin eğı̇tı̇mi politikaları (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.
  35. 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
  36. 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
  37. 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
  38. 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
  39. 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
  40. 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.
  41. 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.
  42. 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
  43. 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.
  44. Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S. & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  45. 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
  46. Myers, K., Conte, N. & Rubenson, K. (2014). Adult learning typology: Adult learning and returns to training project. Social Research and Demonstration Corporation. Ottawa, Ontario.
  47. Pollard, E. (2008). University is not just for young people. Institute for Employment Studies DIUS Research Report. Brighton.
  48. 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
  49. 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
  50. 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.
  51. 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
  52. 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
  53. 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.
  54. 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
  55. 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
  56. Tekin, M. (1988). Ankara ilinde yetişkinleri örgün yetişkin eğitimi programlarına katılmaya güdüleyen etmenler ve yetişkinlerin katılmada karşılaştıkları güçlükler (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.
  57. 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.
  58. 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.
  59. YÖK. (2017). Öğrenci afları (6111 ve 6353 sayılı kanunun uygulamaları). Retrieved from http://www.yok.gov.tr/