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Mature Students’ in Irish Higher Education

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Access and Participation in Irish Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter considers the position of mature students (23+) in Irish HE. This will examine, among other things, the disjuncture between the rhetoric of widening access for mature students on the one hand and the continued, poor representation of this group in the system to now. Specific attention is given to the falling numbers of older learners in the period 2011–15 despite ambitious policy targets for the group set out in the recent National Strategy for Higher Education 20132030 (DES 2011) [hereafter National Strategy].

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Kearns, M. (2017). Mature Students’ in Irish Higher Education. In: Access and Participation in Irish Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56974-5_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56974-5_8

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