Motivation and Teaching - Learning Processes: The Case of Non-Traditional Adult Students at the University of Aveiro

Author(s):

Ana Vitória BaptistaJosé Tavares Nilza Costa José Bessa

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 09A, Widening Participation in Higher Education (Part 2)

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-12

10:30-12:00

Room:

B2 213

Chair:

Laurence Edward Lomas

Contribution

Nowadays, we are all assisting to several changes in various spheres of our lives and being requested to give continuous answers to multiple questions and challenges. Globalisation or even Europeanization and its consequences are only one face of the coin. This knowledge society (Kelo, 2006) must to be seen as an «understanding society» or a «wise society» (Barnett, 1994), due to their diverse realities and supercomplexity (Barnett, 2000) that we dialogically have to deal with. Therefore, Universities ought to be consistently and strongly prepared to give proper and creative answers to the fast, new demands and difficulties. They are facing greater challenges which are requiring them to play unpredictable and various roles (International Conference on Higher Education for the 21st Century, 1999). All of us consciously know the importance that educational institutions have in the development and improvement of global society, economy and world, which are permanently changing. It is inevitable to say that Universities are being confronted with a complex and problematic reality. Consequently, they need to be continuously readjusted. Within this background, we can rewrite Bologna’s agenda and Lifelong Learning’s demands, especially if we take into account the new publics that are entering the University and the new responses they have to put into practice so that they can answer to various requests. In fact, with this work, we purpose to divulge several data collected in a new investigation that has been started at the University of Aveiro, in which we analyse the case of Non-Traditional Adult Students of the academic year 2006-2007, that started to enter Higher Education Institutions due a recent Portuguese Law-Decree: DL n. 64/2006. Therefore, our study intends (i) to systematize aspects about Portuguese educational policies, Bologna Reform and goals, and Lifelong Learning perspectives, which are inter-connected and based on several documents; (ii) to analyse the interconnections of the last point with teaching and learning dialogical process; (iii) to characterize this new public (Non-Traditional Adult Students), giving accurate data about their specificities and how they entered in the University; (iv) to dialogue them with cognitive characteristics of the adulthood, which lead to the activation of psychological development; (v) to reflect and describe how this can affect expectations and motivations of Non-Traditional Adult Students, revelling some conclusions of this investigation; and finally (vi) to announce some directions for further work.

Method

- Systematization of theoretical Portuguese and European official documents and discourses, about Bologna Process and Reforms, and Lifelong Learning. - Characterization of Non-Traditional Adult Students of the academic year 2006-2007 at the University of Aveiro, and according to several other investigations and documents. Considering Non-Traditional Adult Students of University of Aveiro, we will analyse several data, related to demographic, academic, professional and motivational aspects, which will be collected from several informatics and paper supports. We will make a quantitative and qualitative analyses, so that we can reach accurate and reliable conclusions. - Interconnection of the conclusions investigated with several theoretical aspects.

Expected Outcomes

This is a recent investigation and it is still in progress. In addition, there are not many studies that can support our study, because of the contextual situation and the theme considered. Consequently, right now, we do not have consistent conclusions to divulge, because several crossroads that we have been found, which have been leading us to the continuous (re)adjustment and reflection of our investigation to this new topic of research that has been started recently. However, our main goal is to interconnect: characteristics of Non-Traditional Adult Students (especially motivation and expectations, and cognitive characteristics) with teaching and learning processes.

References

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(1995) Adult and continuing education. London. Routledge. - Johnson, R., Merril, B. (2004) Non-traditional students – tracking changing learning identities in the inter-face with higher education. - Joint declaration of the European Ministers of Education. (1999) The Bologna Declaration of 19 June 1999. - Kasworm, C. (2003) Setting the stage: Adults in higher education. - Kelo, M. (ed.) (2006) The future of the university: Translating Lisbon into practice. Bonn: Lemmens. ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education. - London Communiqué. (2007) Towards the European higher education area: Responding to challenges in a globalised world. - Lovell, R. (1979) Adult learning. London. Routledge. - Luzius, J. (2002) Nontraditional students’ library satisfaction. - Magna Charta Universitatum (1988) - Marchand, H. (2005) Psicologia do adulto e do idoso. Coimbra. Quarteto editora. - Natale, M. (2003) La edad adulta: Una nueva etapa para educarse. Madrid. 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(1997) Handbook of academic learning: Construction of knowledge. San Diego. Academic Press. - Posição do CRUP sobre a Declaração de Bolonha (2001) - Rautopuro, J, Vaisanen, P. (2001) Non-traditional students at university: A follow-up study of young and adult students’ orientations, satisfaction and learning outcomes. - Reeve, J. (2005) Understanding motivation and emotion. Wiley. - Rogers, A. (2002) Teaching adults. Buckingham. Open University Press. - Santos, S. (2002) As consequências profundas da Declaração de Bolonha. - Schaie, K., Willis, S. Adult development and aging. Harper Collins Publishers. - Smith, T. (2005) An examination of the perceptions of Louisiana technical college traditional and non-traditional students and faculty regarding effective teaching behaviors in Office system technology programs. Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans, New Orleans. - Smyre, R. (2006) On searching for new genes: A 21st century DNA for Higher Education. - Sorbonne Joint Declaration: Joint declaration on harmonisation of the architecture of the European higher education system (1998). - Santiago, R., Tavares, J. (org.) (2000) Ensino Superior: (In)Sucesso académico. Porto. Porto editora. - Zabalza, M. (2002) La enseñanza universitaria: El escenario y sus protagonistas. Madrid: Narcea, S.A. de Ediciones. Our own publications: - Baptista, A., Bessa, J., Tavares, J. (2008) About the new competences required by the University: A Portuguese perspective – The case of non-traditional adult students in the University of Aveiro. Presentation at the «Paris International Conference on Education, Economy and Society», in Paris, France, 17-19 July 2008. (Abstract accepted and in preparation. The paper will be published in the Conference proceedings.) - Baptista, A., Bessa, J., Tavares, J. (2008) A new public at Portuguese Higher Education Institutions: The case of non-traditional adult students in the University of Aveiro, during the academic year 2006-2007. Virtual presentation at the «15th International Conference on Learning», in Chicago, U.S.A., 3-6 June 2008. (Abstract accepted and in preparation. The paper will be published in the Conference proceedings.) - Baptista, A., Bessa, J., Tavares, J. (2008) Os objectivos e a reforma de Bolonha: A tutoria enquanto estratégia para o Ensino Superior. Presentation at the International Conference AFIRSE «Tutoria e mediação: Novos desafios em investigação educacional», in Lisbon, Portugal, 21-23 February 2008, and publication in the Conference proceedings. - Baptista, A., Bessa, J., Tavares, J. (2008) Revendo os objectivos e a reforma de Bolonha à luz de uma investigação portuguesa em curso: Os estudantes adultos não-tradicionais da Universidade de Aveiro. Presentation at the International Conference «A universalização da Universidade por um mundo melhor», in Havana, Cuba, 11-15 February 2008, and publication in the Conference proceedings. - Baptista, A., Bessa, J., Tavares, J. (2008) A review about Bologna goals and lifelong learning policies: A Portuguese perspective – The case of non-traditional adult students at the University of Aveiro. Virtual presentation at the International Conference «World Universities Forum», in Davos, Switzerland, 31 January – 2 February 2008, and publication in the Conference proceedings. - Baptista, A., Bessa, J., Tavares, J. (2007) O concurso para maiores de 23 anos: uma nova porta de acesso ao ensino superior para estudantes adultos “não-tradicionais”. Presentation at the IX Congreso Galego-Portugués de Psicopedagoxía, in University of Coruña, Spain, 19-21 September 2007, and publication in the Conference proceedings.

Author Information

Ana Vitória Baptista

University of Aveiro

Aveiro

174

José Tavares

University of Aveiro, Portugal

Nilza Costa

University of Aveiro, Portugal

José Bessa

University of Aveiro, Portugal

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