Researching Non-Traditional Students in Spanish Universities through Written Narratives

EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION Resea ching Non-T adi ional S uden s in Spanish Uni e si ies h ough W i en Na a i es Au ho (s):M. Te esa Padilla-Ca mona (p esen ing), Inmaculada Ma ínez-Ga cía (p esen ing), José González-Mon eagudo Con e ence:ECER 2012, The Need o Educa ional Resea ch o Champion F eedom, Educa ion and De elopmen o All Ne wo k:22. Resea ch in Highe Educa ion Fo ma :Pape Session In o ma ion 22 SES 06 A, Inclusion and Di e si y in Highe Educa ion Se ings Pa allel Pape Session Time:2012-09-19 15:30-17:00 Room:FFL - Aula 22 Chai :Jani Pe i U sin Con ibu ion Resea ching Non-T adi ional S uden s in Spanish Uni e si ies h ough W i en Na a i es Li e a u e on Highe Educa ion in Spain has paid li le a en ion o he impo ance o de eloping unde s anding o he expe ience o uni e si y s uden s. Beyond basic socio-demog aphic p ofiles and specific aspec s such as he needs o disabled s uden s, o he ac o s ela ed o d op-ou , he e is a huge lack o in o ma ion abou cul u al and cogni i e cha ac e is ics o s uden s (A iño e al., 2008). Acco ding o Eu os uden (2008), 38 pe cen o Spanish s uden s a e 25-yea s o olde , in compa ison wi h he EU a e age o 34 pe cen . This has been an e e -inc easing end du ing he las 10 yea s, as he age s uc u e in g adua e and pos g adua e p og ams has significan ly changed, and he numbe o people unde 30 yea s has doubled while he pe cen age o s uden s below 25 has d opped 10 poin s since 1999-00 (MEC, 2011). Thus, he numbe o ‘ adi ional’ s uden s accessing Highe Educa ion is dec easing and his end will con inue in coming yea s (Angoi ia and Rahona, 2007). O he ele an ea u es o non- adi ional s uden s in Spain a e he ollowing (Eu os uden , 2008; MEC 2011): - - 1.9 o s uden s eel impai ed in hei s udies by disabili y. - - 4.1 pe cen o s uden s ha e dependen child en. - - 4.1 o g adua e s uden s come om o e seas. Mos o hem (45.6 pe cen ) come om La in Ame ica and he Ca ibes, bu also om EU27 (30.7 pe cen ) and No h A ica (7.4 pe cen ). - - The pe cen age o s uden s om a disad an aged social backg ound, acco ding o pa en s’ educa ional le el, is 28.37 ( a he ) and 33.85 (mo he ), and 3.5 pe cen o s uden s ha e pa en s wi h low incomes. Acco ding o his da a, a significan pe cen age o Spanish uni e si y s uden s a e seen o be ‘non- adi ional’. Gi en ha exis ing s a is ics a e sca ce and limi ed - o example, only accoun ing o s uden s o o he na ionali ies bu no hose om o he e hnic g oups -, hey show a high pe cen age o uni e si y pa icipa ion by non- adi ional s uden s, and mo e impo an ly, an upwa d end in ecen yea s. A ecen OECD epo (San iago e al., 2009) sugges ed ha li le emphasis is placed on s uden p og ession h ough e ia y s udies, wi h li le special suppo o ollow-up measu es o assis hose s uden s who expe ience mo e difficul ies. The e is li le e idence ha s uden s’ p og ess is closely ollowed by eache s and ha s uden s o whom a disad an aged backg ound has been iden ified ecei e any pa icula a en ion. As a consequence, we lack de ailed, in-dep h in o ma ion abou how non- adi ional s uden s in Spain p og ess h ough uni e si y, wha needs hey p esen , wha hey demand om uni e si y ins i u ions, o e en, how hey expe ience hei daily li es on campus. Ou esea ch aims o deepen ou knowledge abou he academic and social expe iences o non- adi ional s uden s in he Uni e si y o Se ille. We a e especially in e es ed in desc ibing he difficul ies hey expe ience in lec u es and u o ials. Likewise, we wan o analyze he needs hey accoun o and hei opinion abou he se ices ha he uni e si y p o ides, as well as hei u u e plans and mo i a ions. Me hod As ou in e es is o a ain a deepe knowledge o he s uden s’ expe iences and needs by de eloping de ailed explana ions, a na a i e app oach was adop ed. Na a i e app oach is known o be effec i e in p o iding insigh s in o complex and con ex ualized s uden expe iences (Benson e al., 2010). W i en na a i es we e collec ed om 23 pa icipan s who we e s udying diffe en deg ees and ep esen ed diffe en g oups o non- adi ional s uden s including 25 yea s-old o mo e, disabled, low socio-economic backg ound, amily commi men s, fi s gene a ion in uni e si y and o he na ionali ies/e hnic g oups. Se e al opics o w i e abou we e sugges ed o he pa icipan s: amily en i onmen and backg ound; school pa hs; access and adap a ion o uni e si y; eaching and eache s; ins i u ional en i onmen and li e ou side lec u es; pe sonal and educa ional iden i y; u u e mo i a ions; and sugges ions o imp o e he si ua ion o non- adi ional s uden s a he uni e si y. Responden s we e encou aged o w i e as g ea de ail as possible abou hei expe iences, opinions and needs. F om he analysis o he na a i es, 8 s uden s we e la e in i ed o pa icipa e in an in-dep h in e iew o be e explo e hei si ua ion and opinions ega ding hei daily expe iences a uni e si y. This pape will only explo e he accoun s on some o hese issues, lea ing aside o he s (school pa hs, pe sonal and educa ional iden i y, u u e mo i a ions, sugges ions o Uni e si y se ices). Expec ed Ou comes The da a analysis is now in p og ess, especially ega ding he in e iews. Howe e , some esul s om he analysis o he w i en na a i es can be summa ized as ollows: - A ending lec u es is conside ed a key issue o lea ning. Taking no es, asking o concep s ha a e ha d o unde s and, pa icipa ing and gi ing hei opinions help hem o op imize hei pe sonal s udy. In con as , u o ials a e no conside ed as impo an as lec u es and only a ew s uden s use his esou ce, and when hey do, u o ials end o be ega ded as a “p oblem-sol ing” de ice and no as a mechanism o guiding hei own lea ning. - The gene al end in eache s is gi ing heo e ical, non-pa icipa i e lec u es, almos exclusi ely based on aking no es. In his con ex , non- adi ional s uden s ha e o adap , and i hey canno a end lec u es, hey ha e o ask o he s uden s o he no es in o de o pass he exams. - Non- adi ional s uden s do no expec special ea men , so when hei non- adi ional s a us emains unno iced, indi iduals desc ibe eeling ha hei eache s connec ‘well’ wi h hem as hey ecei e a ‘no mal’ ea men . Howe e , when s uden s do e eal hei non- adi ional s a us o his is di ec ly obse able, some eache s showed sympa hy and p o ided mo e flexible models o help s uden s mee he equi emen s o he cou se. Re e ences M. Angoi ia and M. Rahona (2007) ‘E olución de la educación uni e si a ia en España: di e en es pe spec i as y p incipales endencias (1991-2005)’, Re is a de Educación, 344, 245-264. A. A iño, M. He nández, R. Llopis, B. Na a o and B. Teje ina (2008) El oficio de es udia en la Uni e sidad: comp omisos flexibles (Valencia: Uni e si a de València). R. Benson, L. Hewi , M. Heagney, A. De os and G. C osling (2010) ‘Di e se pa hways in o highe educa ion: Using s uden s' s o ies o iden i y ans o ma i e expe iences’, Aus alian Jou nal o Adul Lea ning, 50, 26-53. Eu os uden (2008) Social and economic condi ions o s uden li e in Eu ope, h p://www.eu os uden .eu/download_files/membe s/Spain.pd Minis e io de Educación y Ciencia (2011). Da os y ci as del sis ema uni e si a io español, h p://www.educacion.es/dc m/minis e io/educacion/uni e sidades/es adis icas-in o mes/no edades/2011-da os-ci as-10-u . pd ?documen Id=0901e72b809384a4 P. San iago, J.J. B une , G. Haug, S. Malo and P. Pie ogiacomo (2009) Re iew o e ia y educa ion in Spain (Pa is: OECD). Au ho In o ma ion M. Te esa Padilla-Ca mona (p esen ing) Uni e si y o Se ille Resea ch and assessmen me hods in educa ion Se ille Inmaculada Ma ínez-Ga cía (p esen ing) Uni e si y o Se ille Depa men o Me hods o Educa ion and Diagnosis in Educa ion. Se illa José González-Mon eagudo Uni e si y o Se ille, Spain