MATURED STUDENTS IN GREEK UNIVERSITY: DIFFICULTIES IN ATTENDING UNIVERSITY AND STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME THEM (A QUALITATIVE APPROACH)

Autori

  • Dimitris Sakkoulis PhD Candidate, Department of Education and Social Work, University of Patras, Greece
  • Dimitris Vergidis Emeritus Professor, University of Patras, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v10i8.4931

Parole chiave:

matured students, adult students, nontraditional students, higher education, cultural capital, strategies

Abstract

The aim of our study is to highlight the characteristics of mature students who study in person in Greek universities , the difficulties they face and the strategies they use to overcome them. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with a sample of 10 students of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of a regional Greek university and the data were analyzed using Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework. The results of the research showed that the characteristics that differentiate mature students from university students of typical age (18 - 22 years old) are related to adulthood. They enroll at university mainly to increase their institutional and symbolic capital, while the obstacles they face are mainly related to their family and professional obligations. They also develop specific strategies to achieve their goals. Finally, the Greek university needs to focus on this particular group of students and formulate a specific policy to contribute to addressing their problems.

 

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Biografie autore

  • Dimitris Sakkoulis, PhD Candidate, Department of Education and Social Work, University of Patras, Greece

    Dimitris Sakkoulis (M. Ed.) is a PhD candidate at the University of Patras. He works as a teacher in Primary Education. He is the author and co-author of books and scientific articles which have been published in reputable Greek and international journals and conference proceedings. His research interests focus on issues of formal and non-formal education, such as school failure, teacher training, educational practices and adult education.

  • Dimitris Vergidis, Emeritus Professor, University of Patras, Greece

    Dimitris K. Vergidis is Professor Emeritus of Continuing Education and Educational Policy at the University of Patras. He studied Mathematics in Greece and Education Sciences in France. He worked at the General Directorate of Greek European Communities Relations of the Ministry of Coordination and at the General Secretariat for Popular Education. He taught at the Pedagogical Departments of the Universities of Thessaly and Patras, as well as at the Hellenic Open University.  He has participated in European and international research and in more than 40 research projects in total, in several of which he has been scientific supervisor. He has collaborated in research with scientific institutions such as the Association pour le development des actions collectives d' éducation permanente en Europe (ACEPE), UNESCO Institute for Education, Institut National de Recherche Pédagogique (France), Centro Europeo Dell'Educazione (Italy), Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium).

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Pubblicato

2023-07-07

Fascicolo

V. 10 N. 8 (2023)

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