‘You’re thrown in the deep end’: adult learner identity formation in higher education

Brunton, James; Buckley, Finian

doi:10.1080/03075079.2020.1767049

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…First, previous findings have indicated that participants in intergroup dialogue are encouraged to explore their own and others' experiences in social interactions (Nagda, 2006), especially in the higher education context (Brunton & Buckley, 2020;Shamoa-Nir & Hellinger, 2015). This study will continue this line of investigation by exploring a dialogue course in a multicultural setting in Israel.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the findings are unclear regarding which contexts and social processes in young adults' lives promote dialogue and identity exploration, especially issues related to an orderly process of ethnic-religious identity development. Additionally, researchers tested identity development among young people in various locations, such as in Europe and North America (Brunton & Buckley, 2020;Meca et al, 2021;Neblet et al, 2019). Hence, the aim of this study is to broaden people's understanding of self-exploration in the context of intergroup religious conflict.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Under the Radar”: How is the Jewish–Arab Conflict Reflected in Internal Jewish Dialogue?

Shamoa‐Nir¹

2021

IJPS

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This study explores the role of intergroup conflict in the identity exploration process among 83 Jewish participants in a dialogue in a multicultural college in Israel. Thematic analysis has shown that the behavior of most of the participants has been affected by the Jewish–Arab conflict as follows: they centered on internal commonalities among Jewish subgroups; they neither engaged in conflict among Jewish subgroups nor explored their Jewish identities, and they expressed confusion regarding who the out-group was: the Jewish subgroups’ members or the Arab students in the college. These findings expand the knowledge about the identity exploration process in a social context of religious–ethnic conflict and may pose a practical contribution to the field of intergroup dialogues and conflict resolution in divided societies.   

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Under the Radar”: How is the Jewish–Arab Conflict Reflected in Internal Jewish Dialogue?

Shamoa‐Nir¹

2021

IJPS

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“…First, it presents new findings about previously unsuccessful HE students who are now non-traditional adult returners. For many adult students, the transition into HE from the world of work and family responsibilities is an intense experience as it challenges their sense of themselves (Brunton & Buckley, 2020). This study showed that these students are dealing with three main identities and their interaction: student identity, work identity, and familial identity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…According to the authors of the typology of adult learners that coined the term "returners" (Slowey & Schuetze, 2012, p. 24), returners "often see their higher education experience as woven into the fabric of their lives, rather than being discrete and finite." In this study, returners are dealing with constant alternations in the phases of integration and disintegration in their identity portfolio (Brunton & Buckley, 2020). But the results of this article additionally show that for some adult returners, the drop out was successfully integrated into their biography; for others, it was not and the disintegration of identities (and the dropping out) repeat even multiple times.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Sfard and Prusak (2005) also confirm the importance of the role of identity for successful HE studies, as for these authors identity plays a critical role in determining whether the process of learning will end with what counts as success or with what is regarded as failure. As regards adult students, Brunton and Buckley (2020) explored successful adult learner identity formation in HE, particularly the experience of overcoming struggles at the start of the first year of university studies, and they talk about the necessity of managing identities in the portfolio for successful studies. If students want to be successful in their studies, meaning to finish their studies, they have to balance all the pressures of other identities in their identity portfolio.…”

Section: Narrative Identities and Identity Strugglesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identity Struggles of Adult Returners

Rozvadská¹

2021

Studia paedagogica

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This article addresses a perceived gap in higher education literature: there is very little writing that successfully combines the issues of individual learners who dropped out and then returned to higher education -the adult returners. To address this problem, the article draws upon data from the qualitative part of a larger research project that deals with non-traditional students in the Czech Republic. This article analyzes data from eight subjects with drop-out experience chosen from the initial corpus of thirty non-traditional students. The results indicate that adult learners have to deal with three central identities and with potential identity struggles as they interact: student identity, work identity, and familial identity. The final result of the interaction between these identities can be either the integration or the disintegration of identities, whereby one of the possible consequences of identity disintegration is to drop out from higher education.

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Identity profiles, motivations for attending university and study-related burnout: differences between Finnish students in professional and non-professional fields

et al. 2023

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Research suggests that the reported increase in student mental health issues such as study burnout might be related to students’ identity problems and their motivations for undertaking higher education. The present study added to this line of research by investigating the associations between identity profiles, motives for attending university and study burnout in a sample of Finnish first-year university students (N = 430). Field of study (professional vs non-professional) as a factor was also evaluated because differing occupational prospects might influence one’s sense of identity. The results showed that (1) three identity profiles emerged (i.e. achievement, moderate moratorium and diffusion), (2) students in the achievement profile scored lowest on burnout, (3) the achievement profile was the most common among students studying for entry to a profession and (4) students in the achievement profile scored highest on internal motives for attending university. It is concluded that most students lack a clear sense of identity and that identity measures may be more appropriate in predicting study progression and well-being than motives for attending university or engaging in a field of study.

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‘You’re thrown in the deep end’: adult learner identity formation in higher education

Cited by 21 publications

References 36 publications

“Under the Radar”: How is the Jewish–Arab Conflict Reflected in Internal Jewish Dialogue?

“Under the Radar”: How is the Jewish–Arab Conflict Reflected in Internal Jewish Dialogue?

Identity Struggles of Adult Returners

Identity profiles, motivations for attending university and study-related burnout: differences between Finnish students in professional and non-professional fields

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