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The educational decision-making path to the doctorate in career education for midlife women
Abstract
The educational decision-making processes of four women who entered doctoral programs during midlife (ages 35-50) were explored in this multiple case study. Data were gathered from interviews with the key informants, instruments assessing decision making, educational documents, and written and verbal feedback from the informants on the initial analysis. The results indicated the possible cumulative effect of previous learning experiences and the interaction with family, instructors, and informal mentors. Three themes appeared to dominate the decision-making journey: autonomy, meaning, and competence. The results of this study raised a number of research questions in adult development and adult learning, particularly in the areas of educational marketing, mentoring, and gender issues. The results also suggested a further examination of current educational policies and practices in adult and continuing education for midlife leaners.
Subject Area
Adult education|Continuing education|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Shain, Michael Wayne, "The educational decision-making path to the doctorate in career education for midlife women" (1993). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9415994.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9415994