Reimagining Potential: Mature female students attending a college- based higher education establishment in the UK (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781916704947)

In the era of governmental policies encouraging young people to engage with higher education following completion of compulsory education, this book seeks to discuss the problems of a one size fits all approach to engaging with further study. The chosen focus for this book is female mature students who did not follow the traditional university route for a multitude of reasons. Through reflection on their own experiences of education and life challenges, this group of mature female students discuss the barriers to continuing in education at age 18, why they have engaged now and the changes wrought on their multiple identities (student, partner, wife, mother, carer) by re-engaging in education. The book seeks to briefly introduce to the reader, relevant theories associated with labelling in education and how they may potentially impact on student identity.There is an autobiographical element to this book as the author was a female mature student who started university when her youngest child began primary school and recognises the significant impact of educational engagement on her current identity.