Non-Traditional Student Success in Post-Secondary Education the Research Proposal

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Non-Traditional Student Success in Post-Secondary Education

The student population category referred to as non-traditional cuts a wide-swath. Depending on the criteria used for inclusion in this category, non-traditional students may be: Working or non-working adults, active military or veterans, enrolled part-time, returning from an absence from higher education or enrolling after having delayed entrance immediately after high-school, commuting, parents, or supporting other family members or dependents. (Perna, 2010; Wang & Pilarzyk, 2010). Historically, institutions of higher education were not intended for, or designed to accommodate, non-traditional students. Yet the growth rate of non-traditional students enrolled in post-secondary education has surpassed that of traditional students, and this trend seems unlikely to slow or reverse in the foreseeable future (Allen, 1993).

A study of students who began their post-secondary study during the academic year 2003-2004 reported that 15% had not completed their program of study by 2009 although they were still enrolled (Radford, Walton, Lutz, Sara, & Shepherd, 2010). And 36% (or one-third of the students in the study) left their post-secondary programs without earning any type of credential by June 2009 (Radford, et al.). From this and similar research, it is apparent that a substantive number of non-traditional students do not experience academic success, do not achieve the educational goals they set out to attain, or are unable to sufficiently overcome their life-challenges to achieve academic success given the educational supports available to them.

In order to meet the pedagogical needs and scheduling challenges unique to non-traditional students, institutions of higher education may need to change some of their customary practices or add supports that are specifically designed to help non-traditional students achieve academic success. Traditional measures of academic success may need to change as well. Most of the ways that colleges and universities use to measure student success are time-based, relying on traditional ways of structuring higher educational attainment (McGuire, 2010). Students matriculate to earn two-year degrees or four-year degrees.

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Non-traditional students who withdraw or drop-out, and then re-enter higher education at another institution, are not counted.

In addition to the unique challenges faced by non-traditional students, institutions themselves may place undue burdens on students because of a lack of due diligence on the part of these schools to effectively evaluate the job market. For example, the Department of Education is taking steps to offset the profit motives of vocational schools that -- when left unchecked -- are ultimately detrimental to uninformed students. In a press release from the Department of Education, Education Secretary Anne Duncan reported,

Let me be clear: we're moving forward on gainful employment regulations. While a majority of career colleges play a vital role in training our workforce to be globally competitive, some bad actors are saddling students with debt they cannot afford in exchange for degrees and certificates they cannot use. (Hamilton, 2010, ¶4)

Even with appropriate legislation, the burden has shifted onto non-traditional students to be so vigilant about post-secondary programs that they must independently research workforce development in their chosen field. The prospect of this happening on a large scale is remote.

The literature indicates that non-traditional students may find it more or less difficult to achieve academic success at post-secondary institutions depending on the range of pedagogical and scheduling-oriented supports, the administrative practices, and student service options available to them during their matriculation (Hsu & Hamilton, 2008). This study will explore the relationships between the array of supports and practices encountered and utilized by non-traditional students, who have graduated from the University of Arkansas within the past five years, with the non-traditional students' reported levels of satisfaction based on their perceived effectiveness of those supports and practices..

Administrative structures and processes. Post-secondary programs may provide a range of administrative options, such as those pertaining to tuition and fee payment, flexibility options, shortened semesters, and student services. Survey questions.....

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