EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
Resea ching Non-T adi ional S uden s in Spanish Uni e si ies h ough
W i en Na a i es
Au ho (s):M. Te esa Padilla-Ca mona (p esen ing), Inmaculada Ma ínez-Ga cía (p esen ing), José González-Mon eagudo
Con e ence:ECER 2012, The Need o Educa ional Resea ch o Champion F eedom, Educa ion and De elopmen o All
Ne wo k:22. Resea ch in Highe Educa ion
Fo ma :Pape
Session In o ma ion
22 SES 06 A, Inclusion and Di e si y in Highe Educa ion Se ings
Pa allel Pape Session
Time:2012-09-19
15:30-17:00
Room:FFL - Aula 22
Chai :Jani Pe i U sin
Con ibu ion
Resea ching Non-T adi ional S uden s in Spanish Uni e si ies h ough W i en Na a i es
Li e a u e on Highe Educa ion in Spain has paid li le a en ion o he impo ance o de eloping unde s anding o he
expe ience o uni e si y s uden s. Beyond basic socio-demog aphic p ofiles and specific aspec s such as he needs o
disabled s uden s, o he ac o s ela ed o d op-ou , he e is a huge lack o in o ma ion abou cul u al and cogni i e
cha ac e is ics o s uden s (A iño e al., 2008).
Acco ding o Eu os uden (2008), 38 pe cen o Spanish s uden s a e 25-yea s o olde , in compa ison wi h he EU a e age
o 34 pe cen . This has been an e e -inc easing end du ing he las 10 yea s, as he age s uc u e in g adua e and
pos g adua e p og ams has significan ly changed, and he numbe o people unde 30 yea s has doubled while he
pe cen age o s uden s below 25 has d opped 10 poin s since 1999-00 (MEC, 2011). Thus, he numbe o ‘ adi ional’
s uden s accessing Highe Educa ion is dec easing and his end will con inue in coming yea s (Angoi ia and Rahona, 2007).
O he ele an ea u es o non- adi ional s uden s in Spain a e he ollowing (Eu os uden , 2008; MEC 2011):
- - 1.9 o s uden s eel impai ed in hei s udies by disabili y.
- - 4.1 pe cen o s uden s ha e dependen child en.
- - 4.1 o g adua e s uden s come om o e seas. Mos o hem (45.6 pe cen ) come om La in Ame ica and he
Ca ibes, bu also om EU27 (30.7 pe cen ) and No h A ica (7.4 pe cen ).
- - The pe cen age o s uden s om a disad an aged social backg ound, acco ding o pa en s’ educa ional le el, is
28.37 ( a he ) and 33.85 (mo he ), and 3.5 pe cen o s uden s ha e pa en s wi h low incomes.
Acco ding o his da a, a significan pe cen age o Spanish uni e si y s uden s a e seen o be ‘non- adi ional’. Gi en ha
exis ing s a is ics a e sca ce and limi ed - o example, only accoun ing o s uden s o o he na ionali ies bu no hose om
o he e hnic g oups -, hey show a high pe cen age o uni e si y pa icipa ion by non- adi ional s uden s, and mo e
impo an ly, an upwa d end in ecen yea s.
A ecen OECD epo (San iago e al., 2009) sugges ed ha li le emphasis is placed on s uden p og ession h ough e ia y
s udies, wi h li le special suppo o ollow-up measu es o assis hose s uden s who expe ience mo e difficul ies. The e is
li le e idence ha s uden s’ p og ess is closely ollowed by eache s and ha s uden s o whom a disad an aged
backg ound has been iden ified ecei e any pa icula a en ion.
As a consequence, we lack de ailed, in-dep h in o ma ion abou how non- adi ional s uden s in Spain p og ess h ough
uni e si y, wha needs hey p esen , wha hey demand om uni e si y ins i u ions, o e en, how hey expe ience hei daily
li es on campus.
Ou esea ch aims o deepen ou knowledge abou he academic and social expe iences o non- adi ional s uden s in he
Uni e si y o Se ille. We a e especially in e es ed in desc ibing he difficul ies hey expe ience in lec u es and u o ials.
Likewise, we wan o analyze he needs hey accoun o and hei opinion abou he se ices ha he uni e si y p o ides, as
well as hei u u e plans and mo i a ions.
Me hod
As ou in e es is o a ain a deepe knowledge o he s uden s’ expe iences and needs by de eloping de ailed explana ions,
a na a i e app oach was adop ed. Na a i e app oach is known o be effec i e in p o iding insigh s in o complex and
con ex ualized s uden expe iences (Benson e al., 2010).
W i en na a i es we e collec ed om 23 pa icipan s who we e s udying diffe en deg ees and ep esen ed diffe en g oups
o non- adi ional s uden s including 25 yea s-old o mo e, disabled, low socio-economic backg ound, amily commi men s,
fi s gene a ion in uni e si y and o he na ionali ies/e hnic g oups.
Se e al opics o w i e abou we e sugges ed o he pa icipan s: amily en i onmen and backg ound; school pa hs; access
and adap a ion o uni e si y; eaching and eache s; ins i u ional en i onmen and li e ou side lec u es; pe sonal and
educa ional iden i y; u u e mo i a ions; and sugges ions o imp o e he si ua ion o non- adi ional s uden s a he
uni e si y. Responden s we e encou aged o w i e as g ea de ail as possible abou hei expe iences, opinions and needs.
F om he analysis o he na a i es, 8 s uden s we e la e in i ed o pa icipa e in an in-dep h in e iew o be e explo e
hei si ua ion and opinions ega ding hei daily expe iences a uni e si y.
This pape will only explo e he accoun s on some o hese issues, lea ing aside o he s (school pa hs, pe sonal and
educa ional iden i y, u u e mo i a ions, sugges ions o Uni e si y se ices).
Expec ed Ou comes
The da a analysis is now in p og ess, especially ega ding he in e iews. Howe e , some esul s om he analysis o he
w i en na a i es can be summa ized as ollows:
- A ending lec u es is conside ed a key issue o lea ning. Taking no es, asking o concep s ha a e ha d o unde s and,
pa icipa ing and gi ing hei opinions help hem o op imize hei pe sonal s udy. In con as , u o ials a e no conside ed as
impo an as lec u es and only a ew s uden s use his esou ce, and when hey do, u o ials end o be ega ded as a
“p oblem-sol ing” de ice and no as a mechanism o guiding hei own lea ning.
- The gene al end in eache s is gi ing heo e ical, non-pa icipa i e lec u es, almos exclusi ely based on aking no es. In
his con ex , non- adi ional s uden s ha e o adap , and i hey canno a end lec u es, hey ha e o ask o he s uden s o
he no es in o de o pass he exams.
- Non- adi ional s uden s do no expec special ea men , so when hei non- adi ional s a us emains unno iced,
indi iduals desc ibe eeling ha hei eache s connec ‘well’ wi h hem as hey ecei e a ‘no mal’ ea men . Howe e ,
when s uden s do e eal hei non- adi ional s a us o his is di ec ly obse able, some eache s showed sympa hy and
p o ided mo e flexible models o help s uden s mee he equi emen s o he cou se.
Re e ences
M. Angoi ia and M. Rahona (2007) ‘E olución de la educación uni e si a ia en España: di e en es pe spec i as y p incipales
endencias (1991-2005)’, Re is a de Educación, 344, 245-264.
A. A iño, M. He nández, R. Llopis, B. Na a o and B. Teje ina (2008) El oficio de es udia en la Uni e sidad: comp omisos
flexibles (Valencia: Uni e si a de València).
R. Benson, L. Hewi , M. Heagney, A. De os and G. C osling (2010) ‘Di e se pa hways in o highe educa ion: Using s uden s'
s o ies o iden i y ans o ma i e expe iences’, Aus alian Jou nal o Adul Lea ning, 50, 26-53.
Eu os uden (2008) Social and economic condi ions o s uden li e in Eu ope,
h p://www.eu os uden .eu/download_files/membe s/Spain.pd
Minis e io de Educación y Ciencia (2011). Da os y ci as del sis ema uni e si a io español,
h p://www.educacion.es/dc m/minis e io/educacion/uni e sidades/es adis icas-in o mes/no edades/2011-da os-ci as-10-u .
pd ?documen Id=0901e72b809384a4
P. San iago, J.J. B une , G. Haug, S. Malo and P. Pie ogiacomo (2009) Re iew o e ia y educa ion in Spain (Pa is: OECD).
Au ho In o ma ion
M. Te esa Padilla-Ca mona (p esen ing)
Uni e si y o Se ille
Resea ch and assessmen me hods in educa ion
Se ille
Inmaculada Ma ínez-Ga cía (p esen ing)
Uni e si y o Se ille
Depa men o Me hods o Educa ion and Diagnosis in Educa ion.
Se illa
José González-Mon eagudo
Uni e si y o Se ille, Spain