A mature student is described as a student who has had a break from education and is not of the same age as the conventional students in the same year of tertiary education (Hoult, 2006). Mature students are also referred to as adult learners, returning adults or even adult returners. In every institution of higher learning, a body deals with student affairs especially problems that affect students. However, the student bodies in most institutions deal with problems that mainly affect the conventional students without putting into perspective the problems of mature students. This paper intends to analyze the problems that are faced by mature students giving recommendations as to how they can be resolved.

Research Questions: 

1) Is discrimination a factor affecting the mature student's experience in tertiary institutions?

2) Do mature students have to constantly deal with competing priorities while studying?

3) Are the grades of mature students higher or lower as compared to those of conventional students in their first year of study?

Literature Review:

The issue of mature students has attracted a lot of research because of the increase in number of mature entries into tertiary institutions. However, this research has been focused on different areas with some researchers focusing on understanding why people decide to go back to college even after having stopped at some point in life. In order to be more specific, it is important to understand what kind of literature exists on the challenges facing mature students. The article by Jill Wallis is a follow up into research that had been conducted earlier. The author analyzes issues that affected mature students in their first year and continue to affect them even as they advance into second and third years. The criterion used to acquire information is through interviews whereby mature students were asked to volunteer and answer questions anonymously. Some of the issues discussed are low self-esteem and competing priorities, which seem to be burning issues for mature students (Wallis, 2010, p. 4). Carney and Mcneish also focus on identifying challenges that are faced by mature students and gives an account of their experiences while at school (Carney and Mcneish, 2010). The paper also gives recommendations that are based on the mature students' perspective. Lack of confidence is also identified as a major challenge for mature students with some finding it hard to adjust to the learning environment (Hoult, 2006). In addition, mature students especially those with families have problems related to time and finance management. Female students with families are mostly affected by this problem with some of them dropping out to go and take care of their families. Mature students are also prone to psychological challenges with a higher likelihood of being affected by illnesses like stress and depression. In summary, sociologists and education experts have discovered that mature students face numerous challenges in their day-to-day experiences. The aim of research in this area is to enlighten people on these challenges and give practical solutions.

Method of Investigation:

In order to conduct a successful research, it is important to collect data in a means that is applicable for the selected topic. First, the population for this research is all mature students in their first year of study at our university. However, the research is voluntary and any person, who is not willing to participate, will not be coerced to do so. In order to have access to the student information, I will contact Mature Student Office and I will ask for their cooperation in this research. The first method that I will use to acquire data is through interviewing (Bell, 2006). This will be done on a personal basis where the students will be asked to answer questions asked by the interviewer. In addition, there are students who might not have time to attend the interviews but are willing to participate. In this case, questionnaires will be passed to them and collected after one week. Thirdly, I will also use focus group discussions where forums of mature students will be organized to discuss issues affecting them. Focus group discussions are an efficient way of acquiring social data since the students will be allowed to speak freely on issues affecting them (Rudestam and Newton 2007). The advantage of the three methods to be used in this research is that the data collected is firsthand with little or no interference. In order to analyze this data effectively, the content analysis method will be used with the responses given being used to group the data (Bryman, et al. 2009). Finally, the results of the analysis will be used to give a conclusion on the findings of the research.

Rationale and Significance of the research:

The importance of this research is to create an in-depth understanding of the problems that mature students face during their first year of study. Research shows that all students are faced with certain challenges when they first go to college but the problems faced by mature students are different. Their situation is different and therefore it is important to understand their problems separately. It is also important for tertiary institutions to understand what can be done to ease the lives of mature students. Their experiences have to be enhanced in order to encourage others to go back to school. This research is significant in alleviating these challenges in a manner acceptable to mature students.

Ethical Issues:

This research will be conducted according to all AHSS ethical guidelines of conducting research. All respondents will participate in the research upon giving their informed consent. In addition, information can only be disclosed upon the terms agreed with the respondents. The research will only be used for the intended purpose according to the guidelines.