1. I mostly prefer individual and then
group work, exams not at all.
The mature students’ experience at KU
An investigation of mature students’ experience; attitudes, perceptions, and expectations of support offered
by Kingston University
Research team:
Kelsey Giroux – MSc student, Marketing and Strategy, Kingston Business School.
Antiopi Kyriakakou - MSc student, Marketing and Strategy, Kingston Business School.
Marvyn Boatswain (Supervisor), Lecturer in Marketing, Kingston Business School
Background and justification of research
 Mature students are a sub-group of non-traditional students. The term ‘non-traditional student’ is useful to describe different groups of students that are in
various ways underrepresented in HE (Fragoso et al, 2013).
 Mature students have been generally away from formal education for several years, and so insight is required as to how the Kingston University, L&T and
support services can (1) widen their participation, and (2) enrich their learning experiences.
 The outcome of the research will provide better understanding as to the expectations of mature students of lectures and related university resources, and
provide insights into activities the university can undertake to enhance the learning experience of mature students at Kingston University.
Findings from literature review
 Research on support services to assist and promote retention among mature students is virtually non-existent (Fraser et al., 2009).
 Mature students (i.e., students older than 24 years old on enrolment) represent a vital and growing part of the Kingston University community, comprising
almost 25% of the student population (Kingston, 2016).
 Undergraduates are classified as young if they are under 21 years of age on entry, and mature if they are 21 or over (Hesa, 2016).
 Postgraduates are classified as young if they are under 25 years of age on entry, and mature if they are 25 or over (Hesa, 2016).
 This venerable student group is not homogenous, it has a wide range of roles and responsibilities (Burton et al., 2011).
 Mature students often have different outlooks, priorities, and expectations of their university experiences than that of traditional student (Burton et
al, 2011).
Research aim
To investigate and provide insight on the Kingston University mature student’s experience; their social and academic needs and expectations of Kingston
University.
Research objectives
 Explore attitudes and perceptions, of the mature student towards services offered KU
 Understand the mature student’s opinions of learning and teaching (L&T) pedagogy employed by KU.
 Capture the mature student’s view of how KU can better support their L&T needs and experiences
18-20 January 21 February - 15 March 18 March 25 May 31 May 17 June
Completion
of 12
Interviews
Analysis of
Data (Nvivo)
Submission of
Interim Report
Submission
of Final
Poster
SADRAS
Conference
Submission of
Final Report
-Research approach: qualitative approach, collecting
data using face-to-face interviews.
-Sample: convenience/snowball sample of 12
postgraduate students enrolled in various courses at
Kingston Business School.
-Data analysis: thematic analysis using Nvivo.
Recommendations
Limitations
Introductory
E-mail
App
Notifications
Briefing in
Fresher’s
Week
Weekly
Newsletter
Limited
Age
Range
Time
Constraints
Interviewees
from 1
course
Bibliography:
Burton, K., Lloyd, M. and Griffiths, C. (2011) ‘Barriers to learning for mature students studying HE in an FE college’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 35(1), pp.25-36.
Fragoso, A., Goncalves, T., Ribeiro, M., Monteiro, R., Quintas, H., Bago, J., Fonseca, H., & Santos, L. (2013) ‘The transition of mature students to higher education: Challenging traditional concepts’, Studies in the Education of Adults, 45(1), 67-81.
Hesa, (2016) HESA - Higher Education Statistics Agency - HESA - Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Kingston, (2016) Support for mature students - Student support - Why choose Kingston University - Undergraduate study - Kingston University London. Tones, M., Fraser, J., Elder, R. and White, K. (2009) ‘Supporting mature-aged students from a low socioeconomic background’, High
Education, 58(4), pp.505-529.
I feel having worked for ages and this is a conscious decision for career
progression that I’m pretty keen compared to how I was at university and it
fits in in terms of like my career progression...
I didn’t realize we were called mature
students. I would have thought all
postgrads would be deemed mature
students because they’re not
undergrads.
My working experience is a big
plus: I can relate theory to
practice, I have better time
management and organization
skills . Younger students though
have more free time and are
familiar with academia.
In my country, I am not considered a
‘mature student’, so why in the UK?
My course is really good and the professors
approachable. I wish we had more career-
related activities.
Women my age should not
be considered mature!
My interaction with younger
students is not based on age,
but character and common
interests.
No social or financial
difficulties, so I don’t feel I
miss from the university
experience. I only wish I had
more free time.
I have never heard of KU activities
for mature students. In general,
the university does a lot of staff
that I don’t know about.
It might be beneficial for me to be
identified as a ‘mature student’, but I
don’t know in what way..