Attitudes and characteristics of women reentering higher education at one four-year private women\u27s college

This study was designed to synthesize the literature on women who reenter higher education, and to examine through a questionnaire their unique attitudes, personal characteristics and preferences for modes of learning. This study examined the responses to a questionnaire of 139 re-entry women in a small Catholic women\u27s college (Emmanuel College) located in Boston, Massachusetts. The following questions were addressed in this study: (1) Who are the re-entry women? (2) What is the motivation for these women to enter into a undergraduate degree program? (3) What are these women\u27s unique needs? (4) What are the support services needed to help meet their needs? (5) What are their instructional and program preferences? (6) What are the barriers that may interfere with their academic continuance? Methods used in the data collection process included: administration of a 50-item questionnaire to 139 re-entry Emmanuel College undergraduate women students. The participants responded by mail to the questionnaire, so the conditions were not standardized. All data were gathered according to self-reporting of the respondents. An analysis of participating re-entry women\u27s responses revealed the following findings: (1) she was in her upper 30\u27s, married, mother of two children and a part-time student; (2) she returned to school because she was dissatisfied with her job and received encouragement from family and friends; (3) she may find the following services useful: faculty advisement, weekly communication system and peer advisement; (4) she preferred a continuing education program that offered day and evening classes with undergraduate students and with the same full-time faculty; (5) she preferred a college that offered credit for life/work experience; (6) she preferred instructors who can relate theory to everyday experiences and ones who have a realistic view of student\u27s outside duties; (7) she perceived work responsibilities and time commitment to family as a possible barrier interfering with her academic continuance