Returning to college : an exploration of the perceptions and experiences of adults as undergraduates

This study investigated the individual experiences of adult undergraduate students, defined as those 25 years of age or older, to understand their perceptions of how they succeeded in completing their bachelor’s degree programs. The sample of 15 participants was purposefully selected from a pool of Empire State College alumni who had graduated within five years of the start of the research. Among adult students in the United States, 62% do not complete their bachelor’s degree within six years of their first enrollment, and many drop out within their first year (Berker, Horn& Carroll, 2003). Persistence theory was the lens through which this problem of lack of degree completion among adult students was viewed. This study was significant because a determination of how adult undergraduate students accomplished the successful completion of their bachelor’s degree programs could help set policy in higher education which would lead to greater numbers of adult students achieving graduation. The study also expanded the existing literature of adult student persistence, which is sparse and often outdated. The qualitative methodology used to explore the primary research question of how adults who have returned to college and who have completed a bachelor’s degree, make sense of and explain their academic success was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with each participant consisting of 12 open-ended questions, which encouraged rich description of participant experiences in their own words. Significant findings which emerged during data analysis consisted of three superordinate themes: adult students experience special challenges, institutional flexibility promotes success and supportive relationships are important as the adult student re-enters the academic environment.