Non-Traditional Entrants To Higher Education: They Talk About People Like Me

Non-Traditional Entrants To Higher Education: They Talk About People Like Me, by Marion Bowl. Sterling, VA: Trentham Books, 2003. 192 pp., $26.50, paperback.

This book tells the personal and educational stories of thirty-two non-traditional students in the British higher education system. In the United Kingdom, non-traditional is defined as students who are older than the usual eighteen to twenty-five year old undergraduate demographic. The term non-traditional is also used to describe students of ethnic minority and/or disadvantaged backgrounds. As is the case in the United States, these students are most often underrepresented in postsecondary settings.

The author, Marion Bowl, interviews these students and effectively narrates the triumphs and challenges of their educational journeys. Students interviewed for the book were of African, Caribbean, Asian, and Caucasian descent. All participants took part in Birmingham Reachout, a government-sponsored, community-based initiative designed to provide opportunities for working-class and minority citizens living in a disadvantaged section of Birmingham, England. The author served as the project's coordinator and its only full-time worker, thus enabling her to develop close working relationships with the participants. These relationships aided trust-building, resulting in revealing discussions that yielded rich, qualitative personal accounts. The research on which the book is based was conducted over a five-year period.

The book is divided into two parts and is comprised of twelve reader-friendly chapters. In Part One, Talking About Education, readers are introduced to each participant through profiles that offer glimpses into their lives. In subsequent chapters, the participants' experiences are recounted through narratives that are interspersed with verbatim comments. Stories about past educational frustrations, getting into higher education, juggling time and money, and adjustment to college are shared. A highlight of the publication is the final chapter of Part One- The First Year: Learning from Experience. Participants provide nuggets of practical wisdom gleaned from their induction into academe. Many of these lessons are personal and reach far beyond the ivy-covered walls of the university.

In Part Two, Paradoxes in Widening Participation, the author relates the findings of her research to current educational policies and practices of college admissions, curriculum, student advising, and financial aid. Contradictions between theory and practice are pointed out in Chapters Eight and Nine. For example, as access to higher education is broadened, financial aid and academic support decrease. Despite the establishment of special programs for "non-traditional" students, very few efforts by faculty and administrators are made to help these students function in "traditional" environments.

In Chapter 11, Lessons from Practice, solid suggestions are given for those who wish to responsively educate non-traditional students by meeting them at various points of need. General suggestions mirror previous research on minorities in American higher education (Jones, 2001), and include, demystifying academia, building support networks, and breaking down hierarchies.

The book concludes with a postscript of the author's conversation with a female student who had completed her undergraduate training and obtained a second degree. This section is an insightful chronicle of the student's educational evolution and gives specific examples of how the Birmingham Reachout Project positively impacted her as a non-traditional student.

A bibliography, which references other adult education and minority student initiatives, is included. Although most of the works cited are specific to the United Kingdom, they may serve as additional resources for postsecondary educators of any nationality. A glossary would have been helpful to readers who may struggle to understand terminology associated with the British educational system.

Marion Bowl strives to level the educational playing field by challenging policymakers and administrators to design academic programs based on the needs of non-traditional students in order to foster success. This book is recommended for higher education administrators, program coordinators, instructors, and others interested in the social justice of helping all students learn.

REFERENCE

Lee, J. (2001). Creating an affirming culture to retain African American students during the post affirmative action era in higher education. In L. Jones (Ed.), Retaining African Americans in higher education: Challenging paradigms for retaining students, faculty & administrators (pp. 3-20). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Reviewed by Antoinette M. Rogers, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Copyright Howard University Summer 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved