TY - JOUR
T1 - Balancing the books
T2 - How we can better support students who are parents
AU - Andrewartha, Lisa
AU - Knight, Elizabeth
AU - Simpson, Andrea
AU - Beattie, Hannah
N1 - Funding Information:
This article is based on selected findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education at Curtin University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Association for Tertiary Education Management and the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Striking a balance between being a parent and being a student can place heavy demands on time and energy. Many students who are parents have employment obligations and financial concerns which create additional barriers to success. Despite these difficulties, institutional support for students who are parents is often limited. Common challenges include accessing adequate on-campus childcare and parenting rooms, and scheduling study around care commitments. A distinct recognition of student parents has been largely missing from the Australian student equity space. To address this gap, we captured the first-hand accounts of 578 student parents through a national survey of their motivations, challenges, and strengths. Findings are analysed within the four stages of the Critical Interventions Framework–pre-access, access, participation, and attainment/transition out. Our article recommends new avenues of intervention to foster the success of student parents.
AB - Striking a balance between being a parent and being a student can place heavy demands on time and energy. Many students who are parents have employment obligations and financial concerns which create additional barriers to success. Despite these difficulties, institutional support for students who are parents is often limited. Common challenges include accessing adequate on-campus childcare and parenting rooms, and scheduling study around care commitments. A distinct recognition of student parents has been largely missing from the Australian student equity space. To address this gap, we captured the first-hand accounts of 578 student parents through a national survey of their motivations, challenges, and strengths. Findings are analysed within the four stages of the Critical Interventions Framework–pre-access, access, participation, and attainment/transition out. Our article recommends new avenues of intervention to foster the success of student parents.
KW - Australia
KW - higher education
KW - student equity
KW - Student parents
KW - widening participation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148509544&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/1360080X.2023.2180164
DO - 10.1080/1360080X.2023.2180164
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85148509544
VL - 45
SP - 160
EP - 173
JO - Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
JF - Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
SN - 1360-080X
IS - 2
ER -