Author: Robert Templeton
University of Southern Queensland

Edition: Volume 61, Number 1, April 2021

Introduction: Mature-age postgraduate students are those who are late to higher education or have returned to postgraduate study after an educational hiatus in industry. While some mature-age students seek a postgraduate qualification out of extrinsic motivations such as for vocational reasons, there are older non-traditional students who seek higher status; cultural, social, financial, or symbolic. However, some undertake doctoral study with intrinsic motives (based on an intrinsic desire or love of learning) which may have an extrinsic outcome. Mature-age students, who are a subgroup of non-traditional students are categorized demographically by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as being over the age of 35 years. This paper analyses empirical and peer reviewed journal and book research with additional secondary data collected from contemporary sources to inform the literature of the aspirations, motives, and outcomes of mature-age doctoral students.

Keywords: andragogy, doctorates, postgraduate education, motivations, aspirations, vocational and personal outcomes

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 61:1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.