Education Commons^™

Constructing A Clear Definition Of Neotraditional Students And Illuminating Their Financial Aid, Academic, And Non-Academic Experiences And Outcomes In The 21st Century, Tuan D. Nguyen, Jenna W. Kramer

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Decades of research related to the experience of postsecondary students who are adults, work full-time, or have other life roles have not led to agreement in the field regarding who is a “nontraditional” college student. This study leverages nationally representative data to illuminate shifts in this student population in the 21^st century and builds a picture of their demographics, financial aid receipt, and academic experiences. Our results suggest that, in order to capture the diversity of the 21^st century students and ubiquity of students with multiple life roles, we need to carefully define this student population; the use …

Enrolling And Matriculatiing Adult Learners At A Public Community College In Illinois, Christina J. Coclanis-Loding

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Christina J. Coclanis-LodingDepartment of Higher Education and Student Affairs Northern Illinois University, 2021 Carrie A. Kortegast, Director

There are 44 million adults over the age of 24 who hold a high school diploma, and another 35 million adult who have some college credit, but have not earned their college degree. These numbers make adult learners a viable population to attract and matriculate at community colleges. Considering the impact adult learners would have on enrollment in a time when enrollment numbers have been declining and the benefits to the local economies by providing skilled workers, the recruitment of adult learners is …

Perspectives On Working With Nontraditional Students, Edward Trombley, Linda Dammer

Edward F. Trombley III

University Admissions and Registrar staff may believe that serving the non-traditional student would be an easier task than working with the traditional, millennial students. However, intuition is often proven wrong, as discussed “Perspectives on Working With Non-traditional Students,” a journal article based on a conference presentation that was given on Monday, February 17, 2014 at the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO) Regional Conference in Raleigh, NC.

Linda Dammer, Director of Student Affairs, formerly Director of Admissions at ERAU Worldwide, and Edward Trombley, Registrar at ERAU Worldwide, discuss these realities in “The Challenge of Supporting Adult Learners: …

Factors Contributing To Military-Veteran Student Success, Charlene Sutton Cofield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The enrollment of military/veteran students at U.S. colleges and universities is growing steadily; however, factors affecting their academic success need further investigation. Guided by Tinto's student integration model and Bean and Metzner's model of nontraditional student attrition, the relationships between student characteristics and academic success for military/veteran, and civilian students were investigated. For this nonexperimental study, preentry characteristics (military/civilian status, race/ethnicity, age, gender, transfer credits) as well as 1st-year academic performance (total terms attended and grade point average [GPA]) archived in 393 students' records were examined to determine whether these variables predicted 4 student success measures: retention after 1 year, …

Motivating Adult Learners: Exploring The Emergence Of Adult Business Students In An East Texas University, Douglas Luke, Madeline Justice

Administrative Issues Journal

Adult enrollment in higher education institutions has grown significantly during the last decade, with students aged 25 and older attending 4-year institutions at higher rates than before. In the 21st century, few can improve their socioeconomic status or advance professionally without higher education. Colleges and universities must consider this diverse student population by identifying new modes of motivation for students to pursue degrees at 4-year institutions. Research suggests that universities focus on the new learners of higher education: nontraditional students who are motivated by their desire to learn and advance professionally. This study examined motivational factors and patterns of students …

Nontraditional Student Risk Factors And Gender As Predictors For Enrollment In College Distance Education, Tammy Crews Pao

Educational Studies Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether nontraditional student age, female gender, and the possession of nontraditional student risk factors predict enrollment in distance education college courses. This dissertation used data from the most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12), which consisted of approximately 95,000 undergraduate students who were enrolled in higher education in 2011-2012. The results of a logistic regression analysis indicated that both nontraditional student age and female gender were strong predictors of enrollment in distance education, whereas the number of nontraditional student risk indicators was a partial predictor. As leaders in higher education are …

Influence Of Nontraditional Students On Traditionals In The Community College Classroom, Angela J. Richart-Mayfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increase in nontraditional student enrollment continues in community colleges nationwide. Little is known about the interactions between mixed-age groups of students. This qualitative collective case study explored the academic and social influences of non-traditional students on their traditional peers in the community college classroom at a large, midwestern 2-year college. Tinto's interactionalist theory framed the study. Purposeful sampling was used to select 30 participants (13 traditional students, 13 non-traditional students, and 4 instructors) who represented the college population in terms of gender and racial and ethnic diversity. Interview questions were guided by the research questions, and data were also …

Impact Of Orientation Programs On Nontraditional Students' Perceived Academic Success In Adult Education Programs, Marsha Ann Webster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many administrators and faculty within higher education institutions have grappled with identifying and employing effective strategies to facilitate student success and persistence. The current study focuses on assessing nontraditional students' self-efficacy beliefs and their perception of the orientation program at a 2-year continuing education program in a Caribbean nation. The study is important as the findings have the potential to increase nontraditional students' persistence and learning. Bandura's social cognitive theory and the theory of self-efficacy served as the theoretical frameworks of this sequential mixed-methods design study. The quantitative research questions examined the reported self-efficacy levels of 77 participants and nonparticipants …

Overlooked And Overshadowed: Exploring The Multiple Dimensions Of Identity In Traditionally-Aged Undergraduate Student-Parents, Paula A. Caldwell

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Student-parents are a rapidly growing student population, consisting of more than 20% of undergraduate college students today (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Research about student-parents has historically focused on graduate students and adult learners, yet these studies overlook traditionally-aged undergraduate student-parents who constitute over one-quarter of the student-parent population. Traditional four-year institutions continue to dismiss the needs and experiences of student-parents as these colleges are primarily designed to serve traditional undergraduate students with no major external responsibilities. As such, the traditionally-aged undergraduate student-parent population is left underserved and unsupported in their pursuit of education. This study contributes to the …

Perspectives On Working With Nontraditional Students, Edward Trombley, Linda Dammer

Office of the Registrar

University Admissions and Registrar staff may believe that serving the non-traditional student would be an easier task than working with the traditional, millennial students. However, intuition is often proven wrong, as discussed “Perspectives on Working With Non-traditional Students,” a journal article based on a conference presentation that was given on Monday, February 17, 2014 at the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO) Regional Conference in Raleigh, NC.

Linda Dammer, Director of Student Affairs, formerly Director of Admissions at ERAU Worldwide, and Edward Trombley, Registrar at ERAU Worldwide, discuss these realities in “The Challenge of Supporting Adult Learners: …

Nontraditional Hispanic College Students' Perceptions Of Their Sense Of Belonging At A 2-Year College In Southwest Texas, Ronald Eugene Zawacki-Maldonado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand how a sense of belonging contributes to graduation persistence among nontraditional Hispanic college students. The collectivist culture among these adult learners often results in family and work obligations that curtail their pursuit of higher education. The voices of these students are mostly absent in the current literature and warrant the current research study. Sense of belonging and retention theory formed the conceptual framework for this phenomenological study. A purposeful sample of 16 nontraditional Hispanic students enrolled in a 2-year community college in Southwest Texas participated in interviews. Data analysis focused on themes …