Pamela Martin-Lynch

This chapter outlines the background and change that has taken place in higher education systems in both the UK and Australia. It outlines the move to a mass system of university participation across a number of countries and describes the more recent focus upon widening access to those groups previously under-represented in the student body. A case is made for why examining the experiences, motivations and aspirations of the mature-male students is important now and some findings from international research are shared. The parameters, issues and challenges of the study are outlined, key terms defined and the chapter concludes with an outline of the book’s structure.

The reasons for a later entry to university are explored in the first part of this chapter. The differences in the Australian and the UK school systems are explained, and the varying points at which participants completed or withdrew from compulsory education are described. The chapter then looks at some of the decisions that the men made relating to employment or pursuing technical qualifications and why, at that stage, university was not seen as a potential or viable option. Antipathy to school and an unsatisfactory school experience are considered through the lenses of class, family culture, gendered expectations and masculine identities. The chapter ends with the voice of Cedric which supports the view that complexity is inherent in all constructions of men’s experience here.

This chapter considers those reported motivations to study that are most closely connected to pursuing learning for its own sake. This theme is considered and explored through the stories of two Australian students, Alain and Rick, and one UK student, Peter. The students’ narratives reveal that age, past educational experience and circumstances all played a part in what led to study at this point in their lives. Issues emerge with some of the ideas used to frame student motivations and aspirations and, although there are areas of commonality with mature female students’ reporting, societal expectations of men and women highlight some differences.

This chapter provides some final commentary on the study as a whole including the diversity of the men and their stories. The connections to mature women students’ access and experience of university study are discussed and summarised. The challenges that mature-age male students encountered are re-visited and the successes, as reported by the men, also. In the final part of the chapter, a number of recommendations are made in line with findings from the study. These include fostering social networks and communication with and between mature-age students; teaching and learning approaches, curricula and resources; proactive support services and meaningful contact with academic staff.

At the beginning of the chapter, the adjustment to study is discussed. Those factors which emerged as likely predictors of successful study at this level are explored using men’s reporting of their experience of success at school and length of time between any other formal learning and starting their degree programme. Other aspects relating to expectations, persistence, effective study skills and the value of Access/bridging courses are discussed. The chapter then looks at the challenges and concerns that the men report relating to learning and teaching; lack of time and money; lack of confidence and stress. Men’s views on their future and their pleasure and surprise at how much they are enjoying their studies brings the chapter to a close.

This chapter reports on mature-age male students’ motivations and aspirations in relation to employment and undertaking a university degree. Delving more deeply into these stories, it became apparent that, for most men, such work-related motivations were very closely linked to a number of more personal reasons. These reasons are then explored in more detail and a number of strands emerge that are linked to educational experience, family, self-investment and self-direction, and life-events as catalysts for change. The men’s voices are forefront as the chapter draws to a close.

This chapter draws on mature-age male students’ experience of embarking upon university life. Transition processes and a shift in identity are considered initially and the ways in which these are experienced across men’s experience, given their diversity, are reflected upon. Their decisions, feelings and circumstances around living arrangements; financial constraints and support; family commitments; experience of university orientation/induction; fitting in and making friends at university, and their relationships with staff are all heard. The ways in which these accounts intersect with men’s age, circumstance and orientation to study are highlighted. Research on the importance of students’ feeling a sense of belonging within the university and being accepted by both peers and tutors is drawn on at the chapter’s conclusion.

Mature-age male students’ experience of the role and influence of family is examined in this chapter. The degree to which gendered expectations and roles within the family play a part in men’s aspirations and concerns is considered alongside those reported by mature-age female students. The variety of responses in relation to men’s age groups is also described. In the final section, an account is provided of the part played by family members, directly and indirectly, in prompting, encouraging and supporting their participation in higher education.