Why Go Back to School? Investigating the Motivations of Student Parents to Pursue Post-Secondary Education

Autor/inn/en	van Rhijn, Tricia; Lero, Donna S.; Burke, Taniesha
Titel	Why Go Back to School? Investigating the Motivations of Student Parents to Pursue Post-Secondary Education
Quelle	In: New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 28 (2016) 2, S.14-26 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1939-4225
Schlagwörter	Postsecondary Education; Academic Aspiration; Student Educational Objectives; Student Motivation; Reentry Students; Online Surveys; Occupational Aspiration; Family Attitudes; Individual Development; Social Mobility; Parents; Parent Surveys; Parent Attitudes; Achievement Need; Foreign Countries; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Post-secondary education; Tertiäre Bildung; Schulische Motivation; Zweiter Bildungsweg; Berufsneigung; Berufsziel; Individuelle Entwicklung; Soziale Mobilität; Eltern; Elternverhalten; Ausland; Kanada
Abstract	This study explored the factors that motivate student parents to pursue post-secondary education. Student parents at four Canadian universities (n = 398) completed open-ended questions on their reasons for attending school in an online survey. Using Possible Selves Theory as a lens, we conducted a directed content analysis and found that student parents' motivation to attend school has a strong future orientation. Primary motivators for engaging in post-secondary study included: to attain a valued job/career, higher education, and inspiration from family. Secondary motivators included: personal development, improvement in lifestyle and income, inspiration from relationships outside the family, the desire to be socially responsible, to overcome physical/mental challenges, and to develop a new hobby. The results indicate that student parents' reasons for pursuing post-secondary education are varied and complex; it is therefore important that government and university policymakers are aware of the uniqueness of this population when making decisions on policies and supports. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01