Mature-Age Student’s Opportunities as a Matter of Social Inclusion in the Higher Education

Abstract

Digital revolution, pandemics, market-orientation, and massification in higher education, as well globalization – a worldwide challenge in economics, politics, societal structures, and health systems – completely changes the “age landscape” in universities. Over the last 20 years, universities around the world have seen an increase in the number of non-traditional or mature-age students and are facing complex and challenging problems. In the literature these “non-traditional” in terms of age students are called mature-age students (by some scholars also second chancers, independent students, adult learners). Social inclusion equation is highly complex concept, including variables as class, ethnicity, gender, age, subject of study, location etc. In this article, we will focus specifically on the age of students as a variable of social inclusion. The article is motivated by the aim to find out what are the challenges faced by mature-age students in the context of social inclusion to ensure equal opportunities. Purposive sampling is being used, participants with “intensive” experience – 4 master-level students in the age from 40 to 49 from two Universities in Latvia and one University of United States of America. Individual, semi structured, in-depth interviews as a data collection method is being used. Narrative analysis has been chosen as an extension of the interpretive approach within the social sciences. The study concludes that the most significant group of challenges related to the age of students, both in Latvia and in the US, are socio-emotional challenges. Three out of four respondents have experienced emotions such as “feeling like old people, pressure, uncomfortable, rusty, behind”. The inclusion of mature-age students should be on the university agenda, alongside other social equity issues in higher education.