Torchbearer: Summer 1997

Up in Years

By Vicki Slagle Johns

"Older" college students have special motivations and needs, says UTK researcher Carol Kasworm, right. She visits with adult students Bill Lawrence and Jennifer Murphy.

That much-talked-about trend, the aging of America, includes a less-studied segment: the aging of university students. Dr. Carol Kasworm, UTK professor and an associate dean for research and technology in the College of Education, is recognized by her peers throughout the U.S. for studies that focus on that phenomenon. It's an important area, Kasworm says, because more and more students-at the University of Tennessee and elsewhere-are "older."

"College campuses are no longer places just for 18- to 22-year-olds," Kasworm explains. "Forty-four percent of undergraduates nationwide are adults 25 years or older. With higher numbers of students who go part time and work, or who have to stop and work for a while and then go back to college, the number of adult undergraduates will continue to increase."

In recent years, many colleges and universities have begun developing day and evening programs specifically designed for adults and offering support services for older students, Kasworm says. Still, as she found during an in-depth study of adult undergraduates at various higher education institutions, some adult students continue to encounter problematic policies and attitudes.

For example, Kasworm tells about a man who worked full-time during the day and took night classes toward an engineering degree.

"When he was a few hours short of graduation, he learned that he needed a class that was taught only during the daytime. He had to work during the day, so he couldn't take the required class," Kasworm says. "The university he attended wouldn't do anything to accommodate his problem, so he had to switch majors."

An institution's attitude may also exclude adults: "One university still requires that midterm grades be sent to parents. The adult students I interviewed found that very insulting," she says. Another issue is admissions: Recruiting materials as well as new-student orientations are still aimed primarily at high school students.

Although more and more adults are enrolling as full-time undergraduates, there has been relatively little substantive research on how adults cope in the classroom, Kasworm says. To this end, Kasworm and research associate Sally Blowers conducted an in-depth study, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, of 90 adult undergraduates at six different institutions, including public community colleges, public universities, and private liberal arts college adult degree programs.

Kasworm's interview subjects described their educational background; classroom experiences, relationships with professors and fellow students; their support systems; and how they balanced school with work, family, and community roles.

Among the findings: Adult students' initial insecurities about entering or re-entering college were often unfounded. Not only were they able to do the class work, but, Kasworm says, "Many of them felt initially that faculty would be prejudiced against them, but they found that faculty members implicitly valued older students. The adult students felt that faculty members saw that they were motivated and worked hard."

Many adult students also felt a responsibility to help faculty in class-not by teaching, but by participating as students. "They were able to understand what a faculty member was trying to do with the class. They took responsibility for responding to questions and asking questions, particularly if they looked around and saw that other students were not responding," Kasworm says.

Not only did most not mind being in classes with younger students, they actually enjoyed it. "Many reported developing friendships with young students, while a few became mentors or surrogates for parental perspectives," Kasworm says.

Most intergenerational problems cropped up in large lower division courses, where adult students were distressed by younger students who were disruptive or disinterested. They also didn't like classes led by young graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), "because they perceived that the young GTAs felt intimidated by adult students and thus would only talk to the younger students. The adults felt discriminated against," Kasworm says.

Adult students also had the chance to do something many younger students can't-immediately apply what they had learned in the classroom to real life, whether family or work. For example, one woman delighted in introducing her elementary-aged children to algebra. After taking an accounting class, another man was entrusted with the responsibility of handling his department's budget.

Others found that their past experiences enhanced their understanding in the classroom. One student, a former electrician, reported that "Having to make calculations . . . was almost like second nature: 'Oh, you mean this is called solving for a variable? I've been doing that all my life.' And I didn't know what it was called."

To reap the benefits of higher education, many adults found that they had to get past several practical problems. For example, some found that the degree programs they wanted to pursue were offered only during the day, effectively excluding full-time day workers. At certain institutions, registration was also available only during the day. Finances were another headache; most adults didn't qualify for scholarships and found that financial aid was based on the assumption that a student's living expenses were being met by parents. Students at campuses that offered an adult degree program or that had support services for adults were more satisfied with their experience.

Kasworm's written report of the results of her study, which was recognized for its excellence by the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education and received the 1995 research award from the National University Continuing Education Association, includes recommendations for making higher education more adult-accessible.

"This study helps professionals begin to see some of the patterns in adult students' entry and involvement in an institution and in the support services they require," she says. "The adults in this study spoke to their belief in becoming whatever they desired for themselves. All they asked was access, understanding, support, knowledge, and opportunity."