8/9/2019 Adult Learning 1997 Gammon 30 1

1/3

 http://alx.sagepub.com/ Adult Learning

 http://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.citationThe online version of this article can be found at:

 DOI: 10.1177/104515959700800414

 1997 8: 30Adult Learning Mary Gammon

What Makes a Successful Mature Student? 

Published by:

 http://www.sagepublications.com

On behalf of: 

Official Journal of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education

 can be found at:Adult Learning Additional services and information for

http://alx.sagepub.com/cgi/alertsEmail Alerts:

http://alx.sagepub.com/subscriptionsSubscriptions: 

http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.navReprints: 

http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.navPermissions:

What is This? 

- Mar 1, 1997Version of Record>> 

by ursu narcisa on October 29, 2014alx.sagepub.comDownloaded from  by ursu narcisa on October 29, 2014alx.sagepub.comDownloaded from 

http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.citationhttp://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.citationhttp://www.sagepublications.com/http://www.aaace.org/http://alx.sagepub.com/cgi/alertshttp://alx.sagepub.com/subscriptionshttp://alx.sagepub.com/subscriptionshttp://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.navhttp://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.navhttp://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.navhttp://online.sagepub.com/site/sphelp/vorhelp.xhtmlhttp://online.sagepub.com/site/sphelp/vorhelp.xhtmlhttp://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.full.pdfhttp://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.full.pdfhttp://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://online.sagepub.com/site/sphelp/vorhelp.xhtmlhttp://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.full.pdfhttp://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.navhttp://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.navhttp://alx.sagepub.com/subscriptionshttp://alx.sagepub.com/cgi/alertshttp://www.aaace.org/http://www.sagepublications.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/content/8/4/30.citationhttp://alx.sagepub.com/

8/9/2019 Adult Learning 1997 Gammon 30 1

2/3

What

Makes

Successful

Mature Student

Mary Gammon

twenty-eight-year old single mother

starts academic upgrading in a com-

munity college. Her previous level

of education

is

grade nine, but she

realizes that in order to

be

self-sufficient, she will

need a job with potential for advancement.

In

short,

she needs to acquire the skills

to

ensure her future.

Of the approximately twenty-three mature students

that start at the same time as she does, a large percent-

age fail

to

complete the course. What is there about

this particular woman that

s ts

her apart from the

others in her group?

The woman, who for

our

story we will call ki n , had

many obstacles to overcome, beginning with finding

suitable daycare for her children. Lack of school-aged

daycare programs forcedAnn to

uproot

her eldest

child, placing him in

a

new daycare and school; all of

this required formal request., letters of approval, and a

lot of patience. Still, k i n had constant concerns about

rumoursof government budget cutting and the possi-

bilities of the subsidy not being available for the full

durat ion of her program. However, daycare worries

were not the only problems. She also faced other bar-

riers including the added costs of going

to

school:

clothes, major ca r repairs, fuel, extra fees for daycare

events, supplies, and a list that kept growing.

Ann's

academic abilities were shaky; in fact, she

experienced increasing difficulty with her assign-

ments. On top of this, she lacked

a

clear sense of a

career direction.

A

she came closer to finishing her

upgrading, panic prompted her to enroll in a career

After exploration and research,Ann discovered a

career that she felt she would be happy with; her

excitement was at an all-time high. She had worked

lwuy Gurnmon recajvdu

dflloma

in l~ubl ic eh f iom n

1996 rom Durhum

ollege

of

AppliedArLv

and j iCb?iolog~1.

planning c o u ~ .

She uwks

or 1niwfor.s Group

Firmciul

Smiicu. She reshks

in

Mi by,

Otiturio.

hard

and felt that she had made ;i good choice. Her

hopes were dampened when a teacher made it quite

clear that he did not feel she could be succes.fii1 i n

such a career. Ikvastated, Anti's first instinctW;LS to

quit. Hut natura l stubbornness prevailed

her upgrading with honors and applied for another

post secondary education program. She was happy

and confident when once again her hopes were dasm

when she was placed on a long waiting list for the

program she ha d chosen.

k i n contacted the college and arranged a meeting

with the admissions staff

to

prove her determination.

Again, persistence paid off and Ann

was to start colleg

in the fall.

Once accepted into college, ki n' s next hurdle

was financial. bankruptcy claim from a previous

marriage made receiving assistance

f rom

The Ontari

Student Assistant Program

OSAP)

seem hopeles.;

however, after and exorbitant amount of papetwork,

me et ing, an d verifications, approval was granted.

During her first semester, additional obstacles aros

A

a mature student she found some of the youthful

antics of her classmates distracting, and her academic

were again causing some concern. I t was suggested

that she be tested for a learning disability, he results

of which confirnied that indeed there was a learning

deficit. She

rea~i7xd

hat in order to keep

up

she would

have to work three times harder than others in her

class. Her stubbornness again took over, and she decid

ed that she would work as many hours

as

necessary

request

a peer

tutor, and take advantage of the marl-

services offered at the college to ensure her success.

k i n completed her second semester with honors,

and continued 011 to the second of a three-year

Ikciding to prove the teacher wrong,k i n inished

30 Adult Learning

by ursu narcisa on October 29, 2014alx.sagepub.comDownloaded from 

http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/

8/9/2019 Adult Learning 1997 Gammon 30 1

3/3

program. Nonetheless, her constant struggle

to keep up was evident to her peers and

friends, and there were many times when

she felt that she could not make it to the

end of the semester.

In addition to problematic academics,

Ann also had to overcome such impedi-

ments as harassment from her ex-husband,

low self-esteem, medical and emotional

problems of her children, and coming to

terms with a history of abuse.

To this da): Ann continues working

toward her goals, but while she persists,

she notices that

so

many others do not.

Research shows that the main reasons that

mature students drop out of school are lack

of money, lack of time, family responsibili-

ties, stress caused by work loads, and fai lure

to adjust to the school setting

s

a whole.

As

we have seen, Ann faced all

O

these battles.

So what makes her different?

For Ann the answer is easy, mature

students who quit school do not want an

education badly enough. The key to being

a successful mature student, is defining a

goal that is strong enough to pull on

through the rough

spots.

The goal must

be realistic and obtainable; otherwise, it

is very easy to simply say,

“ I

quit ”

Instead of quitting, enroll in a stress

management workshop,

ask

for a tutor,

seek budget counseling, practice good time

management, decide if personal counseling

is required, extend the program length to

lessen the work load, make use of the gym,

and f ind a trustworthy confidante.

Ann had a lot of help with her plight

she took advantage of the help that is avail-

able to every student, just for the asking.

Ann learned how to ask.

I am Ann I have experienced the strug-

gles of a mature student

For

me, one of the most difficult aspects

of returning to an educational setting was

to accept opinions that differed from mine,

I had to learn tha t the teacher is there to

instruct not to destroy one’s opinions and

notions, and that hearing something con-

trary to my beliefs made me examine my

own beliefs and in so doing, grow.

Also For me, it is a source of great satis-

faction knowing that my choice of returning

to school was the right decision he

choice that will shape my future a nd that of

my children. I’m moving foreword and feel

that nothing ot finances, not learning

difficulties, not previous negative school

experiences, not childhood experiences

nothing

can stop my accomplishing the

goal that I have set for myself uccess in

my chosen field

Job

Pmljdw mnlinu rlfiwnpage

27

Work

Docume nt Resume, references,

identification, atten-

dance and punctuality

certificates, education-

al credentials, Program

completion certificate

Job Search

Guides

Occupational vocabu-

lary, Self descr iptors

*Interview tips and

checklist, sample cover

and follow-up letters,

employer contact

sheets, job research

guide, application data

sheet

Dae t m are

to

be

used only in refertllce

portfolios

Help th e Trainee Take harge

A presentation job portfolio is a collabora-

tion of program participants and staff. But

by its nature it is learner-centered since

trainees will only use the portfolio if they

feel

that it represents them.

Staff help trainees take ownership by

putting production in trainees’ hands,

being flexible about organization and con-

tent, an d ensuring a variety of materials for

trainees to choose from. With experience,

instructors begin to plan class activities with

an eye to the portfolio so that completed

class assignments reflect individuality, dis-

play various facets

of

job-related knowledge,

and fit into one portfolio sheet (single or

double-sided).

Notice Signs of Success

Job portfolios are rewarding

to

the trainees

and program staff. In

our

program, trainees

prepare portfolios at the start of job search

(about the fourth month of the six-month

program), Deciding what to put into the

portfolios, organizing them, and talking

about them helps trainees realize all that

they have accomplished and turns the stress

of seeking employment into excitement.

Some students who have not worked up

to capacity are energized to complete

assignments

so

they can use them in their

portfolios.

In the first year, we asked trainees to

complete a questionnaire about their

experience with job portfolios. They were

enthusiastic.

“When the employer asked me questions,

“ I

showed the interviewer the outline of

“It captures all my experience in one

It helped me get everything organized

I liked putting my art work in it.”

It helped me get ready by reviewing

some of the th i ng I had done and forgot-

ten.”

This has helped me a lot. Everything

in it I got on my own.”

I show it to my friends.”

Job portfolios are prepared with intensity

and are valued by trainees. In the

two

years

we have been using job portfolios, all par-

ticipants have completed portfolios. Without

being reminded, students take them to job

interviews. No trainee has ever left a por t-

folio behind at the end of the program.

For program staff, planning for the port-

folio is undying. It is our vehicle for inte-

grated curriculum planni ng over the length

of the program.

Does

the use of job portfo-

lios increase trainees’ employment rate?

In

our

program, trainees who are available

for work have gotten jobs. After the pilot

project, portfolios became an ongoing facet

of the program. We do not have a quantifi-

able measure of the influence of job port-

folios on the program, but we do know

what portfolios cost. At $3.00 per trainee

for report covers and sheet protectors, job

portfolios are worth

it

I

referred to the portfolio.”

the program. That got things going.”

easy going book.

so I

could get a job.”

March Apr i l 997 31

by ursu narcisa on October 29, 2014alx.sagepub.comDownloaded from 

http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/http://alx.sagepub.com/