Supporting students who are parents to succeed in Australian higher education

Authors: Giovanna Szalkowicz and Lisa Andrewartha
La Trobe University

Edition: Volume 64, Number 1, April 2024

Introduction: Students who are parents are largely invisible within the Australian higher education sector. We know little about the particular views and experiences of this group at university. This article explores the motivations, perceived challenges to success, and self-identified strengths of students who are parents. Our analysis is based on eighteen semi-structured interviews conducted with students who are parents at one multi-campus Australian university. The article contributes new insights to identify university strategies to better support under-represented groups to succeed at university.

Keywords: students who are parents, higher education, student experience, student voice, student equity

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 64:1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.