Within the Caribbean, the number of students pursuing postgraduate studies in higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased over the years. Consequently, locally contextualised epistemologies and empowering methods are needed to help adult learners in Caribbean higher education (HE) navigate their studies. This paper presents findings from a…

Supporting individuals' progression into, and completion of post-compulsory education is a key strategic policy of the UK government. However, the number of learners withdrawing from Further Education (FE) prior to qualification completion has been highlighted as an area of concern within the UK. Consequently, we aimed to explore why learners…

In this article we discuss the findings from a qualitative research project that explored the struggles of twelve work-based learners whilst they studied on a Foundation Degree in an English University. It examines the concept of struggle within the current context of Higher Education and discusses the need to acknowledge learners' emotional…

This article explores the sustained impact of an Access module on mature students from disadvantaged backgrounds as they progress to undergraduate study. Framed in the context of OfS concerns about attrition and conceptualisation of dispositional, situational and institutional barriers, student survey and tutor focus group data were collected in a…

Although educational researchers will acknowledge that they have a moral imperative to avoid harming their participants whilst carrying out research, it does not necessarily mean that they can describe the nature of what this harm might be or how it can be recognised and so avoided. This is particularly important for those working with vulnerable…

This paper details a small-scale research project that explores the student transition into higher education (HE), delivered in a further education college (FE), and considers whether the requirements of transition at this level impacts on emotional wellbeing. As such, it aims to contribute to the growing body of research on HE-in-FE from the…

While there is a growing knowledge base of how students experience their transitions into and through university, little is known about how they experience the temporal dimensions of their higher education (HE) studies, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students. This article draws on Australian longitudinal research…

In the United Kingdom, although one in four adults reportedly experienced mental health difficulties within a one-year period, only 25% of them received treatment for their condition. Moreover, this group of adults are underrepresented in full-time employment and education and so to discover ways which may help to counteract this imbalance, an…

The practice of self-directed learning is important to adult students as it allows them to learn effectively while juggling work, family and other commitments. This study set out to examine the self-directed learning characteristics present in the adult students' study process at the case university. The relationship between the adult students'…

The transition into higher education is a critical time for all students. A positive early experience provides a strong foundation for future academic success whilst a negative experience can be destabilising for a new learner. To date, research has primarily focused on full-time undergraduates in order to explain the reasons for high attrition…

This article explores the impact of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Access module on the progression of students to undergraduate Science. Drawing on the Widening Participation (WP) literature, this research investigated the experience of adult learners from disadvantaged backgrounds taking their first steps into higher…

This research draws on the experience of a group of mature students' studies during their first year at university. All experienced varying degrees of Imposter Syndrome, feelings of fraudulence and a lack of confidence in their ability. The process of "becoming" a mature student is one of identity change and risk. Gaining a sense of…

This article explores the impact of funding cuts to the Further Education colleges in Scotland. The reduction in the number of students in the colleges has been hugely politically controversial. The research utilised the Infact database on the Scottish Funding Council's website and also a literature review. The research found there had been a…

Research into both student engagement and student emotions is increasing, with widespread agreement that both are critical determinants of student success in higher education. Less researched are the complex, reciprocal relationships between these important influences. Two theoretical frameworks inform this paper: Pekrun's taxonomy of academic…

This article presents empirical research exploring adult returner students' patterns of learning via qualitative analysis of a series of semi-structured interviews. Interviewees' comments shed light on the relation between patterns of learning on the one hand, and study skills, epistemological issues and attitudes to peer interaction on the other.…