| 6. The influences on mature-age
applicants In this chapter we examine the patterns of choice among mature-age applicants. For the sake of simplicity, we used a liberal interpretation of ‘mature-age’ to include all applicants who did not complete their secondary schooling in 1998. Applicants referred to as ‘mature-age’ therefore include those who may be only one year out of secondary schooling and applicants already enrolled in another university or TAFE course. Using this definition, 253 applicants in the sample were defined as mature-age. Only nine per cent of this group were aged eighteen or younger, compared with 96 per cent of the school-leaver subgroup. The mean age of the mature-age group was 25 years, 62 per cent are female and 38 per cent are male. One-third of the mature-age applicants had been focused on their preferred course for at least several years (compared with 40 per cent of school-leavers). Most of the group (66 per cent) made their decision on their preferred course and university within the year leading up to their application, with 17 per cent reporting that they made their decision only when they began seriously thinking about making a tertiary application. The conclusions that can be drawn about the attitudes and motives of mature-age applicants are broadly similar to those for school-leavers. Field of study preference is once again the dominant influence on their thinking. The views of employers, colleagues and friends carry comparatively little weight. Like school-leavers, most mature-age respondents appear to view the course–institution of their choice as a single entity. Once again, the course offered by the university is the dominant factor in choice of institution for them, followed by ease of access from home, employment rates and the sense of personal ‘fit’. Campus facilities seem relatively unimportant. While there are many similarities between the attitudes of school-leavers and mature-age applicants, the factor structures that emerge from factor analysis show some differences, particularly to do with the influences on university preference. Whereas the factor analysis for school-leavers identified two discrete factors ‘institutional characteristics and reputation’ and ‘academic programs and services’—suggesting that school-leaver applicants distinguish between their overall impressions of the ‘status’ universities and the qualities of the academic programs of these institutions—these distinctions appear less clear-cut for mature-age applicants. In addition, there is a predictably well-defined factor for mature-age applicants that we have labelled ‘flexibility’. 6.1 Influences on field of study preferences Like school-leavers, the majority of mature-age applicants’ higher education decisions revolve around their field of study interests. The factor analysis performed on the items relating to mature-age applicants’ motives in pursuing a particular field of study indicate two strong and clearly identifiable dimensions in their thinking (Table 6.1):
As the items in Table 6.1 show, their field of study preferences are based overwhelmingly on interest in the area, the prospect of interesting and rewarding careers, and their perceptions of their own talents and abilities. The comments of mature-age applicants, such as ‘I feel that a career in law would be mentally rewarding and sustaining’ echo those of school-leavers. Table 6.1 Influences on field of study preference, mature-age applicants
Note: * 5 point scale ** percentage of respondents ranking item as either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd most important influence on them. Only clearly predominant items are reported. The employment rates for graduates in the particular field was a major influence for fewer mature-age applicants, but nevertheless was still a strong influence on about half the people surveyed. Considerably fewer mature-age applicants placed importance on the level of HECS in that discipline (14 per cent) and on starting salaries in the field of study (27 per cent). About half reported that salaries had little or no influence on them at all. The responses of mature-age applicants to the question of how much knowledge they believe they have of the factors influencing their decision followed similar patterns to those of school-leavers. The exception is that more mature-age applicants than school-leavers claimed knowledge of employment rates, starting salaries and the levels of HECS fees applicable to the course. Like school-leavers, a large proportion of mature-age applicants reported levels of knowledge about field of study characteristics that could be considered low.
Note: * 5 point scale 6.2.1 Course decisions Most mature-age applicants reported that their confidence in their ability to meet the demands of a particular course was a strong or very strong influence in selecting the course. Another very important consideration was the wish to go to the university offering the course.The factor analysis on the items in Table 6.3 revealed a single, prominent dimension to applicant thinking that we have described as ‘perceived course quality’. About half the respondents were influenced by course reputation, including the satisfaction of graduates from the course. Similarly, half the sample saw the approaches to teaching and the quality of teaching as important influences on them, although the opportunities for flexible study options figured prominently in the thinking of fewer respondents. Attitudes were polarised on this factor; flexible study possibilities were clearly an important factor for 30 per cent (19 per cent indicated that they were a ‘very strong influence’) of mature-age applicants, but were little or no influence for 56 per cent (39 per cent said they were no influence at all). Table 6.3 Influences on choice of preferred course, mature-age applicants
Note: * 5 point scale ** percentage of respondents ranking item as either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd most important influence on them. Only clearly predominant items are reported. Roughly speaking, about one-third of mature-age applicants showed little if any confidence in their knowledge of course-specific characteristics (Table 6.4).
Note: * 5 point scale
In the main, the comments of mature-age applicants about their chosen university and their reasons for selecting it are indistinguishable from those of school-leavers. Their references to institutional reputation and their reasons for choosing a particular course are similarly broad and at times vague:
Table 6.5 Influences on choice of university, mature-age applicants
Note: * 5 point scale ** percentage of respondents ranking item as either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd most important influence on them. Only clearly predominant items are reported. Overwhelmingly, mature-age respondents indicated that their interest in a particular course offered by the university was the main influence on their decision (e.g. ‘Research University has a well-known Italian department, that’s why I’d like to do Arts there’.) Ease of access from home was the next most important factor in their thinking. The practical issue of access also featured highly in the thinking of school-leavers, indicating that convenience of university locations and transport options were major contributors to applicants’ final choices. Opportunities for higher degree study were taken into account by 43 per cent of applicants. The influence of opportunities for flexible study was somewhat stronger with mature-age applicants than school-leavers, but was still relatively low with only 28 per cent of applicants citing this as a strong or very strong influence.
* 5 point scale Perhaps the most significant findings here are in the factors that were not considered to be important influences—and there are many of them, including the institution’s research reputation or international character and the on-campus social and cultural life‚ such as the facilities, amenities and clubs on campus. Over half, and sometimes well over half, of the applicants reported that these university characteristics were of little or no influence on them; 58 per cent of the group, for instance, reported that the social and cultural life on campus did not influence them, 37 per cent saying that it was of no influence at all. Similarly, over one-third showed no interest at all in the international character of the institution and, though employment rates are an influence, 36 per cent reported that they were not influenced in any way by the starting salaries of graduates from the institution. As is clear from Table 6.6, mature-age respondents reported little knowledge about many of the likely influences we proposed to them. For mature-age applicants, there are gaps (in both directions) between the extent of influence of various considerations and their actual knowledge of them. Again, we note that applicants may not have appropriate information on core matters and concerns. 6.3 Summary The most influential considerations in mature-age applicants’ decision-making are listed in Table 6.7. This summary shows the central importance of field of study preferences. As for school-leavers, a very large majority of mature-age applicants are strongly motivated by an interest in studying a particular area of knowledge and later working in a related field. Other than ease of access from home, university-specific characteristics are of less influence than course or field characteristics.
Applicants’ confidence in their personal abilities to meet the demands of courses is an important consideration when it comes to choosing a particular course within these fields of preference. The italicised items in the table also reveal the close association between course and institutional preference identified by the study. On the whole, mature-age applicants appear better informed than school-leavers, but only marginally so. In a number of important areas, including the quality of teaching and graduate satisfaction, there are sizeable gaps between the extent of influence of particular considerations and the apparent confidence of applicants in their actual levels of knowledge of these. |
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Contents Any comments or queries should be sent to: highered@detya.gov.au |
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