Drifting apart or converging? Grades among non-traditional and traditional students over the course of their studies: a case study from Germany

Abstract

Since 2009, German universities were opened by law to freshmen who do not possess the traditional graduation certificate required for entry into University, but who are rather vocationally qualified. In this article, we track the grades of these so-called nontraditional students and compare them to those of traditional students using a longitudinal design. Based on assumptions about differences in competencies, family background and the cultural closeness of academia, we derive hypotheses on differences concerning the progression of students' grades. These hypotheses have been tested using examination data from an undergraduate degree program at one German university. Analyzing a sample of 723 students, we show that over the course of their studies, non-traditional students perform worse than their fellow students who have general university entrance qualifications. Moreover, there is no trend toward convergence between the students' performances. Additionally, repeated measures ANOVAs reveal the influence of socio-demographic characteristics and study practice on progression of students' grades.

‘Swallow your pride and fear’: the educational strategies of high-achieving non-traditional university students

“…Statistics show that non-traditional university students are less likely than their traditional counterparts to achieve higher degree classifications, even with the same entry grades (HEFCE 2014;Richardson 2015). Similar patterns have also been reported in Australia (Gale and Tranter 2011), Germany (Brändle and Lengfeld 2017) and the United States (Braxton 2000).…”

Same Same but Different? Non-Traditional Students and Alumni in Germany

“…Nevertheless, in their study these lower grades also translated into lower completion rates. On the other hand, Brändle and Lengfeld (2017) found consistently lower performance among non-traditional students throughout their complete course of studies. Moreover, they noted that non-traditional students had lower course completion rates at the beginning of their studies, less frequently obtained a degree, and, when they did, received worse grades than traditional students did (Brändle & Lengfeld, 2015).…”

The Syllabus Reconstructed: An Analysis of Traditional and Visual Syllabi for Information Retention and Inclusiveness

“…These differences can create success barriers because higher education's structure is not designed to meet nontraditional student needs (Erisman and Steele 2012;Gilardi and Guglielmetti 2011;Munro 2011). Brandle and Lengfeld (2017) reported that nontraditional students have a different habitus than traditional students and that the learning environment is not inclusive of their needs. Research by Lawrence (2005) and Smit (2012) found that instructors see nontraditional students as having deficits in their ability or skills needed to succeed.…”