Brec'hed Piette
University of Wales Bangor, Wales

Paper presented at SCUTREA, 32nd Annual Conference, 2-4 July 2002, University of Stirling

Part-time degree study has been an area of growth over the past decade, and it is likely that this growth will continue in both higher and further education institutions if the government target of 50% participation in higher education is to be achieved. At the present time most part-time students are mature returners, often in their thirties or older. With the development of foundation degrees and similar developments, it is likely that an increasing number of younger people will also experience higher education on a part-time rather than a full-time basis.

The focus of this paper is the experience of students on part-time degree courses. Despite the increasing numbers relatively little attention has been given to the particular experience of part-time students, with the exception of some studies carried out on Open University students. A particular feature of this type of course is the length of time involved - normally five or six years, and also the relatively intensive nature of the study. Students may be expected to attend classes twice a week, and to carry out ten or fifteen hours a week of private study. One of the immediately obvious difficulties faced by students is how they are going to fit in the considerable amount of studying required with the rest of their lives, particularly family, work and other responsibilities. Institutional providers are generally aware of these difficulties and help may be offered through the adjustment of timetables, the use of flexible learning approaches, appropriate student support and so on. However at the same time as a student is fitting in a course of study with other aspects of their lives, they are themselves being altered by their experience of part-time study. The very length and intensity of a course of this kind is likely to lead to many students experiencing considerable personal growth and change during this time. While both these aspects of a part-time student's experience (the 'fitting in' and the 'altered states') are significant there have been relatively few studies of the latter. In this paper I will look at both these aspects of part-time students' experience, and drawing on interview data, will argue that the balance between these two aspects of a student's learning career will change over time. Students' paramount concern during the early stages of a course will be with how learning can be fitted into their lives, but at later stages of learning, there will be more of a focus on the 'altered states' achieved as a result of their educational experience, particularly in more successful students.

Data was obtained from students studying on a part-time degree course in the social sciences. Several students were interviewed who were in either their fourth or fifth year of study. They were invited to look back over their experiences, and, in particular, to comment on changes that had occurred in their experience of studying over this period.

In many discussions of adults returning to education, much is made of the barriers, which prevent many from initially engaging in education, and may lead those who make the first step to drop out in the early stages. Studies (for example, by McGivney, 1993) have indicated that these barriers include practical ones, to do with finance, the pressure of work and family commitments. In addition, for many students these are compounded by lack of confidence, low self-esteem, and anxieties over achievement.

The students on this course when asked to recall the experience of their first year also commented on these familiar barriers and fears, but the main concern was around how they were going to 'fit everything in' -

'When we started the course, finding enough time was our main worry; there was so much reading to do. We were also worried about having been out of studies for so long - the first essay was nerve-wracking'.

'The first year was very difficult - in the first year I didn't know how to even it out - I felt a bit panicky most of the first year'.

'The main problem has been having young kids - fitting it in around the kids'.

'I found it very hard going at the beginning. I felt pulled apart psychologically - the course and home'.

It is clear from these comments and from the relatively high dropout that occurs at this stage, that the first year of study is particularly hard. Most of the difficulties inherent in the studying situation will be felt from the beginning - having to make time to attend classes and for personal study, the reaction of partners and families to the student's absence and new preoccupation, the academic demands and a range of new skills to be learned. At this stage, the experience often seems quite negative; the longer-term gains of studying are not yet evident. It will be a long time before any qualification is obtained, and the feeling of achievement that comes with solid progress will not be experienced for some weeks, or even months.

In recent years there has been increasing awareness among providers in higher education institutions of the practical difficulties face by part-time students, and programmes with increasingly flexible ways of delivery have been developed to make it possible for students to fit in studying around other aspects of their lives. The need for flexibility is particularly important when a student is enrolled on a course for a number of years, as the course not only needs to fit in with the student's current other obligations but will also need to be adapted to other responsibilities that may arise at later points, for example increased responsibilities at work, or a domestic crisis. In addition, students may well be offered help through special modules to develop study skills and to deal with time-management.

Another aspect of 'fitting in ' studies which is less frequently referred to and perhaps harder to explain is the need for students to make psychological space for studying in busy lives. It is important that students feel that their course is an integral part of their lives, and that its significance is on a par with other major aspects such as work and family, rather than a temporary activity that can be dropped if time is short or something more interesting turns up. Two things seem important in determining if part-time students see their degree studies in this light, and both tend to happen over a period of time. The first is that students start to feel that the course has in some way changed them as people, and the second is that the social relationships they make on the course become significant and relatively enduring.

In considering the changes that happen to students during the course of their studies, the concept of a 'learning career' as developed by Bloomer and Hodkinson (2000), offers a useful analytic framework. They describe a learning career as 'the development of dispositions to learning over time'.

Such development or transformations need to be seen in the wider context of all the aspects of a person's life involving structural factors such as gender, social class and ethnicity, and also how a person views his or her whole learning experience. Such transformations are likely to include not only changes in approaches to learning, but wider changes in values, personal identity and aspirations. Blomer and Hodkinson were particularly interested in how young people's learning careers changed over a four year period from the ages of about 15 to 19. In their analysis of the shifts in one young woman's learning and occupational career during these years they found considerable transformations in her learning career in a relatively short period. These were linked to wider aspects of her life such as gender and social class, her particular relationships, and her employment opportunities as well as her direct experience of learning. The transformations that occurred in her experience of her learning could only be fully understood in this wider context. Such transformations are perhaps to be expected in young people whose lives are yet to settle into a stable work and family pattern. It is less clear that such changes would also be present in older people embarking on a degree course. However there is enough informal evidence and personal testimony to the transformational power of education for adults for an analysis based on process and change over time to be potentially useful. The study by Beaty, et al (1997) of Open University students also found major changes in approaches to learning, values and other aspects of life in several OU students over a period of six years, and the concept of a 'learning career' as applied to adult students has been used by Webb (2001) and by Gallagher, Crossan, et al (2000).

In this present study, students commented spontaneously on the ways in which they felt they had changed during their three or more years on the course-

'It's given me confidence'.

'Given me self-esteem'.

'I feel really proud to be able to say I'm involved with B---------- university, because I'm from a working class background. I'm proud, I feel chuffed'.

'I've learned so much, I'm proud of myself, to think what we know now. I heard somebody talk about altruism on the radio the other day, and I thought I wouldn't have know what that meant before I did the course, but I do now'.

'Going to the library has become part of my life now - it's part of a normal Saturday'.

'Reading is part of my life now - I don't think that will ever change'.

'I would feel confident about reading anything now'.

'I can't see myself without it now - I've got to the stage where this fills my life'..

'Compared to when we started we may be a little bit more laid back about essays now - we know we can do it'.

These comments are in marked contrast to those made describing the experiences of the first year of study. It is not that the earlier problems have entirely disappeared; this was clear from comments such as

'It's a burden - you've always got it hanging over you'.

'Sometimes you feel that you're never going to reach the goal'.

'Fitting it in with the kids is still a big problem for me'.

However, it is clear that for these successful students, after some years of study the perceived benefits to them as individuals were by now outweighing the costs. It is interesting that for these students, potential career and economic benefits were not the main motivating factor. In most cases they still had two years to go before they graduated, but the changes to themselves as people now seemed established and enduring. It may be that not all students reach the 'altered states' described here, but for those who do it is clear that they have become genuine lifelong learners and that they have been transformed by their learning experience. However, it is not clear that institutional providers have given particular thought to how this can best be achieved by students. This is in contrast to the effort now being put into different forms of flexible delivery which should help students with the problems involved in fitting in their studies with other aspects of their lives. When students themselves are asked what they consider to be the main ways in which they have been supported by the course and the institution they generally emphasise the importance of social relationships with both staff and students.

'S (member of staff) has been a rock. She's been with us from the start'.

'I don't think I'd still be here if it wasn't for S. I'd have given up in the first year'.

Family support is also important in some cases -

'My husband is very supportive at this stage of the course - he gets anxious if I say I might pack it in'.

For students who cannot always rely on this, the peer group is crucial.

'We give each other support when we don't get it from our partners'.

'We help each other a lot with our learning; when one of us is feeling down, the others help us along'.

Peer group support increased in significance during the duration of the course, and reliance on staff grew less, although it was still significant in a crisis. It appears from these comments that achieving an 'altered state' is something that students do together as a group at least as much as through their own individual study effort.

The role of students' social relationships, both with staff and students on a course, and in students' life outside has perhaps not been accorded the attention it deserves in the lifelong learning literature. This may be because learning is largely seen as an individual activity, and the successful learner too often characterised in individual terms. Blunkett in his forward to The Learning Age (DfEE, 1988) comments that

the development of a culture will help create a united society, assist in the creation of personal independence and encourage our creativity and innovation.

In a similar vein, De la Harpe and Radloff (2000) consider that the characteristics required of the individual learner are ' self -knowledge, self -confidence and self -management skills' . This emphasis on the individual learner rather than on the learner in a social context is perhaps a rather masculine approach. The following comment by Benn (1997: 31) would seem to tie in more with the more social way in which leaning was viewed by the students in this study

If learning is seen as a function of social relationships rather than as an essentially individual activity, then the concept of lifelong learning is extended beyond solely the acquisition of individuals of formal qualifications. Learning then ties in with a set of other relationships within organisations, families, communities and the economic sector.

The 'learning careers' approach too has shown the importance of considering learning experiences within wider social relationships, and to take gender into account. In the case study of a young woman described by Bloomer and Hodkinson decisions taken by her about her education were inextricably linked with her relationship with her boyfriend. Gorrard, et al (1998), in their longitudinal study carried out in South Wales, give examples of women carrying out 'altruistic' decisions that put the learning careers of their male partners ahead of their own.

The importance of social relationships and the changing pattern of these over time are also seen in this study of part-time students. The comment quoted above

'I found it very hard going at the beginning. I felt pulled apart psychologically - the course and home'.

epitomises the conflict felt by many. The American feminist psychologist, Carol Gilligan (1982), has emphasised the importance of social connections in women's lives. She found that typically, from adolescence onwards, women tend to place the needs of others above their own and experience difficulty in achieving an appropriate balance whereby their own needs are also given due attention. For women in particular, following a part-time course does involve a sense of doing something for themselves rather than for others, and this can engender feelings of guilt. They often feel compelled to justify these decisions by claiming that 'it's their turn now' perhaps because others of their families have already been through higher education. Or they may feel that having had years of child rearing they are now entitled to put their own needs first. However the balance is a fragile one, which can easily be upset by a domestic crisis, or withdrawal of support by a partner.

As well as having to meet the needs of other family members, students themselves have social needs. Studying in the evening and at weekends is likely to lead to a decrease in the time available to spend with family and friends, and in social activities. This can in part be replaced by social relationships developed with other students on the course. However the role of these relationships seems to be more significant than simpler friendship. It was clear from comments made by their students that the support offered students by each other was an important part of the learning experience. There was a sense that they were going through changes together, and that at times, only other students could really understand both the pressures and the pleasure of the experience. In particular the students' cohort group was central; it was interesting to observe that students' close relationships were all developed within the cohort who started studying together. This appeared to be the case even after several years during which time they had met and shared classes with many students from other cohorts. We have also noticed that students who have had to withdraw from the course temporarily are often reluctant to rejoin a different cohort group from the one they started with. Perhaps the experience of sharing the difficult first year creates a bond that cannot easily be recreated with students they come across at later stages.

Given the importance of social relationships for students' experience, there may be a role for institutions to foster these, or at least to try and ensure that they are not fractured. Paradoxically, some of the initiatives developed to increase flexibility of learning do not necessarily lead to strong bonds between students. For instance, allowing students to follow parts of their course through independent study, or individual project work, while easier to fit around out of course activities and responsibilities may also mean that students see far less of other students on the course who have become their main support. Making it easier for individual students to take modules from other programmes, or to progress through courses at different rates, while offering flexibility will also tend to break up groups that support each other. We have noticed that students often chose options as a group, feeling that remaining together is more important than the individual preferences for particular modules. One development that both offers flexibility and increases social cohesion is to teach over the summer; this makes the long break when students may lose touch with each much shorter, and also allows for faster progress on long courses.

In conclusion, I would wish to argue that institutions in emphasising the importance of flexibility in course delivery might be paying less attention than they should to other elements in the part-time students' experience. Because of the length and intensity of such courses it important to take a longitudinal perspective that considers the needs and experience of students throughout and not just at the point of entry and during the first year. The problems that students have with fitting in their studies with the rest of their lives generally become manageable with time, and they may benefit from an approach that focuses more on the ways in which they have changed as people, and on the social relationships that exists between students which support these changes. It is particularly important that institutional providers in emphasising flexibility of provision for individual students do not inadvertently forget the social dimension of learning, and how these impact on the needs and progress of their students.

Beaty E, Dall'Aba G and Marton F (1997), 'The personal Experience of learning in higher education: changing views and enduring perspectives' in Sutherland P (ed) Adult learning: a reader, London, Kogan Page.

Benn R (1997), 'Participation in adult education: breaking boundaries or deepening inequalities?', in Armstrong P, Miller N and Zukas M (eds) Crossing borders: breaking boundaries, SCUTREA 27^th Annual conference Proceedings, pp31-34.

Bloomer M and Hodkinson P (2000), 'Learning careers: continuity and change in young people's dispositions to learning', British Education Research Journal, 26, 5, pp.583-597.

De la Harpe B and Radloff A (2000), 'Informed teachers and learners: the importance of assessing the characteristics needed for lifelong learning', Studies in Continuing Education, 22, 2, pp.169-180.

Department for Education and Employment (1998), The learning age: a renaissance for a new Britain, London: HMSO.

Gallagher J, Crossan B, Leahy J, Merrill B & Field J (2000), Education for all? Further education, social inclusion and widening access, Glasgow, Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning.

Gilligan C (1982), In a different voice: psychological theory and women's development, Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press.

Gorrard S, Rees G, Fevre R and Furlong J (1998), 'The two components of a new learning society', Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 50, 1, pp.5-19.

McGivney V (1993), 'Participation and non-participation: a review of the literature', in Edwards R, Siemenski S and Zeldin D (eds) Adult learners, education and training, London, Routledge.

Webb S (2001), 'Towards an understanding of adults' learning stories: gender, educational identity and social capital', in West L, Miller N, O'Reilly D and Allen R (eds) Traveller's tales: from adult education to lifelong learning and beyond, SCUTREA 31^st Annual Conference Proceedings, pp 423-427.

This document was added to the Education-line database on 18 March 2003