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Reflecting on Experiences of Learning among Adult Learners with Multiple Responsibilities: A Case of Evening Programmes at a University in Tanzania

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Title: Reflecting on Experiences of Learning among Adult Learners with Multiple Responsibilities: A Case of Evening Programmes at a University in Tanzania
Language: English
Authors: Philipo Lonati Sanga (ORCID 0000-0001-5267-5438), Gennes Hendry Shirima (ORCID 0000-0002-1480-2165)
Source: Journal of Continuing Higher Education. 2024 72(2):221-236.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Adult Students, Student Responsibility, Universities, Foreign Countries, Evening Programs, Graduate Students, Masters Programs, Student Attitudes, Part Time Students, Socioeconomic Influences, Academic Achievement, Educational Attainment, Student Experience
Geographic Terms: Tanzania
DOI: 10.1080/07377363.2023.2242954
ISSN: 0737-7363
1948-4801
Abstract: The focus of this paper is to report the findings of a qualitative study whose purpose was to analyse the experiences of adult learners pursuing evening postgraduate degree programmes at the university level in Tanzania. Using ethnographic research combined with multiple case research design, together with in-depth interviews and documentary review, data were generated from 20 postgraduate students from one school within a university in Tanzania. The resulting qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The study found that university adult learners in these evening programmes combined learning with their full-time employment, family, and social responsibilities as well as extra income-generating activities. Inevitably, these multiple responsibilities, as the study established, adversely affected their academic performance and duration for programme completion. In fact, completion on a part-time basis depended on dispositional factors such as individual learner's efforts and strategies adopted to cope with the situation, with many others either delaying completion or dropping out altogether. This scenario invites rethinking the modus operandi of programmes to facilitate postgraduate students' completion rates amid widening participation in higher education.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1432091
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0178530604;gwp01may.24;2024Jul23.05:09;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0178530604-1">Reflecting on Experiences of Learning among Adult Learners with Multiple Responsibilities: A Case of Evening Programmes at a University in Tanzania </title> <p>The focus of this paper is to report the findings of a qualitative study whose purpose was to analyse the experiences of adult learners pursuing evening postgraduate degree programmes at the university level in Tanzania. Using ethnographic research combined with multiple case research design, together with in-depth interviews and documentary review, data were generated from 20 postgraduate students from one school within a university in Tanzania. The resulting qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The study found that university adult learners in these evening programmes combined learning with their full-time employment, family, and social responsibilities as well as extra income-generating activities. Inevitably, these multiple responsibilities, as the study established, adversely affected their academic performance and duration for programme completion. In fact, completion on a part-time basis depended on dispositional factors such as individual learner's efforts and strategies adopted to cope with the situation, with many others either delaying completion or dropping out altogether. This scenario invites rethinking the modus operandi of programmes to facilitate postgraduate students' completion rates amid widening participation in higher education.</p> <p>Keywords: Multiple responsibilities; programme completion; university adult learners; widening participation</p> <p>The urgency among adult learners to further their knowledge and skills to meet the demands of contemporary life is influenced by social, cultural, political, and economic thrusts coupled with advancements in science and technology (Yang et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref1">33</reflink>]). Similarly, the 5th International Conference on Adult Education called for formal education institutions from primary to tertiary levels to open their doors to adult learners, widen participation, adapt programmes, and provide learning conditions that meet their needs (Yang et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref2">33</reflink>]). In furtherance of this ideal, the new global development agenda for sustainable development on the provision of inclusive education strives to foster a triad of socio-economic forces: engendering upward social mobility, ending poverty, and boosting positive and sustainable change (UN, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref3">30</reflink>]). Consequently, nations must ensure and sustain lifelong learning environments to optimise results that are universally beneficial.</p> <p>In the same vein, to cope with the global changes, Tanzania has formulated a National Development Vision, which envisages a well-educated and learned society to solve the society's problems by 2025 (URT, [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref4">31</reflink>]). This vision aims to address the challenges of development for the country to compete at both regional and global levels by having skilled and knowledgeable personnel. Such a broad development plan requires strategically setting up education and training policies and plans capable of enabling universal education access and training opportunities to cope with the current global demands of a more skilled workforce. Consequently, the country has boosted learning opportunities for adults in higher learning institutions (Sanga, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref5">26</reflink>]), including the introduction of several online, distance learning, and evening programmes (URT, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref6">32</reflink>]). Despite such policy efforts in place, the context in which training opportunities are currently provided in higher learning institutions in Tanzania is constrained by several factors, such as substandard utilisation of the potentials of online learning and inadequacy of technological proficiency in the country (Joseph, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref7">14</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-2">Contextualising the Study Site and Problem</hd> <p>The selected school within a university has been offering Master of Arts in Education (MAED) and Master of Educational Management and Administration (MEMA) degree programmes through the evening mode for those tied down by occupational and other engagements and thus being incapable of enrolling in the regular mode of delivery. These programmes provide room for professional development to qualified candidates, particularly adults who have multiple responsibilities. Adult learners matriculating in these evening programmes simultaneously shoulder other responsibilities such as full-time jobs, leadership positions, marital roles, family care, domestic activities, religious roles, and other social duties.</p> <p>Because the classes are in the evenings, learners have inadequate time to use library services and engage in an interactive learning. Additionally, the programmes are offered in a context of inadequate facilities and support services uniquely geared around evening programmes, coupled with less interactive online materials that could be accessible on campus, at home, at workplaces, and elsewhere for self-learning. Distinctively, the programmes and their mode of delivery are still new innovations in the Tanzanian context yet seem to fit a majority of students who would like to make their learning more meaningful by integrating real-world and workplace problems into their learning activities. Unfortunately, the programmes are characterised by higher fee structures when compared with traditional programmes, and they are constrained by inadequate facilities which, in turn, may compromise learners' academic performance and their pace of programme completion.</p> <p>Thus, in Tanzania learners in evening programmes lack enough time to study, fail to pay undivided attention to their studies, and fail to complete their assignments in a timely fashion (Gatmaitan, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref8">7</reflink>]). Consequently, many of them obtain lower grades in their coursework, and their completion dates tend to take far longer, including writing their dissertations, with some abandoning their studies altogether. Thus, the current study sought to answer these questions: (a) How do university adult learners pursuing part-time evening postgraduate programmes accomplish their academic activities and other socio-economic responsibilities? (b) How do such multiple responsibilities and multitasking impact their academic performance and programme completion rates?</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-3">Role Stress Theory-Cum-Model of Coping with Role Conflict</hd> <p>The Role Stress Theory and the Model of Coping with Role Conflict informed the current study. The former is based on classical role theory whose key tenets suggest that the occupancy of multiple responsibilities creates more demands than one can handle, hence leading to role overload amidst insufficient time to meet the entire multiple demands (Home, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref9">12</reflink>]). Multiple role occupancy can also create role conflict due to clashing demands and negatively impact academic performance. Because the Role Stress Theory fails to provide solutions on how to cope with multiple role challenges, it was deemed essential to combine it with a Hall's ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref10">9</reflink>]) Model of Coping to fill that theoretical gap. This complementary model suggests three types of copying strategies: (a) coping as a structural role, (b) coping as a personal role, and (c) coping as a reactive role. The structural role actively attempts to deal directly with the role sender and lessens the conflict by relocating and sharing one's tasks. The personal role, on the other hand, allows a learner to shift an individualised concept of role demands by setting priorities and meeting certain demands. Finally, the reactive role attempts to improve the quality of role performance without necessarily changing the structural or personal definition of one's role. After all, their demands are unchangeable, and a person's main task is to find ways to meet them either in a passive or reactive orientation. These perspectives illuminate how university adult learners in evening programmes undertake their learning while shouldering other responsibilities.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-4">Taxonomies of Multiple Responsibilities</hd> <p>Lenaghan and Sengupta ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref11">15</reflink>]) described multiple responsibilities as referring to working and studying at the same time. On the other hand, Hemmerich ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref12">11</reflink>]) and Sallee ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref13">25</reflink>]) treated multiple responsibilities as professional responsibilities, family responsibilities, and academic responsibilities. Broadly, multiple responsibilities can fall under the following five classes:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Family responsibilities, including marital roles, being a parent, domestic duties, childcare, and caring for siblings</item> <p></p> <item> Financial responsibilities, including involvement in income-generating activities</item> <p></p> <item> Social responsibilities, including religious and community activities</item> <p></p> <item> Career responsibilities in which employment is involved</item> <p></p> <item> Studentship responsibilities, where being a student is the main concern (Filipponi-Berardinelli, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref14">5</reflink>]; Somuah, [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref15">27</reflink>]).</item> </ulist> <p>Implicitly, a full-time employee undertaking part-time classes can also be a partner or spouse, parent, caregiver, volunteer, and breadwinner as an integral part of these multiple responsibilities.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-5">Learning Barriers in a Context of Multiple Responsibilities</hd> <p>Generally, adult learners face three categories of barriers: situational, dispositional, and institutional as elucidated in the following sections.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-6">Situational Barriers</hd> <p>Situational barriers can be defined as a state of pressure or context which compels someone not to accomplish a certain goal. It may include different social responsibilities such as funeral ceremonies, traditional festivals, and religious events; family responsibilities such as domestic activities, childcare, elderly care, and marital roles; full-time job commitments; civic commitments; political activities; and leadership positions (Fairchild, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref16">4</reflink>]; Marsman, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref17">18</reflink>]). Such responsibilities tend to exert pressure on and adversely interfere with adults' learning process, hence forcing adult learners to compromise their academic performance and programme completion (Fairchild, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref18">4</reflink>]). For instance, parenting adult learners, particularly women, may feel guilt whenever they are far away from their children, opting to be with their children and sacrificing their time for studies. In the same vein, married evening adult learners can suffer marital conflicts which interfere with their studies. In a different instance, adult learners who are employed while studying in evening programmes may be given a career assignment to accomplish while it is time to attend classes or accomplish certain assignment for their studies. All these situations can negatively impact their academic performance and programme completions. In this context, situational barriers are those obstacles directly and personally associated with an individual adult learner. To benefit from the reduced role strain in such a context of situational barriers, Ziems ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref19">34</reflink>]) called for careful prioritisation and balance of roles for successful accomplishment of all roles.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-7">Dispositional Barriers</hd> <p>Dispositional barriers include barriers related to the attitude, perceptions, and expectations of adults, such as believing that they are too old to learn or lacking confidence or interest in learning. Doan and De Jaeger ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref20">3</reflink>]) illustrated that dispositional barriers are related to heightened roles, demands, and time conflicts, which eventually translate into role conflict, role overload, and role contagion. In their totality, these barriers induce stress, anxiety, and depression. Inevitably, evening adult learners face role conflict when they must undertake different roles such as attending to family matters, tasks at work, and academic assignments, which could compromise their career orientation. Consequently, role overload or insufficient time for accomplishing all the tasks poses another challenge, thus creating difficulties in balancing work, studies, and family or social responsibilities.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-8">Institutional Barriers</hd> <p>Literature suggests that many educational institutions are ill-equipped to deal with the career orientation of adult learners (Doan & De Jaeger, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref21">3</reflink>]) who are not enrolled in regular programmes after taking a break from their occupational engagements. Specifically, these institutions inadequately provide learning support services such as academic guidance, access to information and study materials, and counselling services. Moreover, office and class hours may not meet the needs of all the adult learners who also work while taking care of their families. All these aspects occur at the expense of adult learners, who tend to endure unsatisfactory academic performance, drop out, or delay unnecessarily in completing their programme study circles due to the heavy load and multitasking within a finite timeline (Munn et al., [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref22">21</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-9">Perceived Effects of Adult Learners' Multiple Responsibilities on Academic Performance</hd> <p>Academic performance of adult learners may suffer both positively and negatively because of multiple responsibilities. Some students find juggling work with school roles to impact them positively, especially if the nature of their work is related to school, whereas others speak of role conflict negatively affecting their academic aspirations (Lenaghan & Sengupta, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref23">15</reflink>]). Huie et al. ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref24">13</reflink>]) found that increased working hours among traditional students decreased their overall academic performance while reduced working hours increased performance. Similarly, Lundberg ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref25">16</reflink>]) suggested that students who worked more than 30 hours in a week ended up with lower grades in their coursework. Others with such heavy schedules prolonged the completion of their studies (Darolia, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref26">2</reflink>]). In this case, the increased hours at work negatively influenced role balance and, consequently, the academic performance and programme completion of adult learners.</p> <p>In Tanzania, many students with multiple responsibilities in open and distance learning studies experience unsatisfactory academic performance compared to those in regular programmes of conventional universities (OUT, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref27">23</reflink>]). In this regard, work overload made learners feel stressed out and unable to perform well in their studies (Haule, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref28">10</reflink>]). Since their academic performance determines progression in their studies, their completion time was elongated and, sometimes, their programmes became abandoned (OUT, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref29">23</reflink>]). On the other hand, Huie et al. ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref30">13</reflink>]) offered mixed findings, which suggested that students who managed their time well were less affected by the work overload, their academic achievement remained high, and they completed their programmes on time. Thus, striking a balance between fulfilling multiple responsibilities and managing time effectively is an important coping mechanism for adults contending with work overload and role conflict to engender successful academic endeavours.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-10">Methodology</hd> <p>A combination of ethnography with multiple case research design enabled this qualitative study to examine the real-life experiences of the university adult learners from two programmes, namely Master of Arts in Education (MAED) and Master of Educational Management and Administration (MEMA), who were engaged with and affected by studying while fully committed to other responsibilities. Quota sampling was employed to obtain 20 participants from both MAED and MEMA programmes by involving both male and female students. Table 1 presents the sample categories.</p> <p>Table 1. Description of participants by their gender and category.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Category of Participants</td><td>Codes</td><td>Gender</td></tr><tr><td>Male</td><td>Female</td></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td>MAED Adult Learners</td><td>MAED-ALs</td><td char=".">6</td><td char=".">4</td></tr><tr><td>MEMA Adult Learners</td><td>MEMA-ALs</td><td char=".">5</td><td char=".">5</td></tr><tr><td><bold>Total</bold></td><td /><td char="."><bold>11</bold></td><td char="."><bold>9</bold></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>In the field, in-depth interviews and documentary review were used to collect the qualitative data and subjected to thematic analysis. Thus, Braun and Clarke's ([<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref31">1</reflink>]) six-step framework of thematic analysis was considered a flexible method of achieving the goal of developing themes (i.e., patterns in the data) that were relevant in addressing the research questions. In achieving this, latent level of thematic analysis was the researchers' focus, i.e., attempting to look beyond the semantic content of the data by examining the underlying ideas, conceptualizations, and experiences shared by the participants (Braun & Clarke, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref32">1</reflink>]). Thus, data analysis and interpretation process were iterative, driven by the established research questions and the researchers' focus of reflecting both on the generated data and the study context. In the process, only the significant themes based on their patterns were developed and interpreted in relation to the research participants' real world and the theoretical perspectives of this research. Lastly, data analysis and interpretation also established relationships and patterns of themes and sub-themes, whose strands were later converged into a coherent story.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-11">Findings and Discussion</hd> <p>In this study, interviews revealed that the multiple responsibilities accomplished in tandem with the adult learners' studies were various and the bearing on their academic performance differed across participants as illustrated in the ensuing sections.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-12">Career Responsibilities</hd> <p>The adult learners who participated in the study reported that they were committed to handling different career-related responsibilities – a situation that compelled them to opt for the master's degree through the evening mode of delivery. Specifically, 17 out of the 20 university adult learners were full-time employees in different capacities and had no study leave from their employers. As a result, they attended work in the mornings as usual before lectures in the evenings. Some of them held key managerial positions in their respective workplaces. For instance, one adult learner revealed the following:</p> <p>I am a District Education Officer (DEO). When I was applying for my study leave, my boss advised me to opt for the evening programme to keep my position. This was because joining a regular programme would cost me dearly by losing my job position as I would be replaced just after six months. I did not want to lose my position, so I opted for the evening mode.</p> <p>This finding indicates that university adult learners pursuing postgraduate studies via the evening programmes have different responsibilities to accomplish at work along with the role of studying. For instance, the full-time engagement in workplace responsibilities for those who were employed tended to compromise their academic achievements. On average, adult learners daily spent more than eight hours for career responsibilities as compared to 3-4 hours spent on their studies in the evening. Such an imbalance of the duration spent for the two competing roles was found to have had an adverse impact on their academic achievements. Similarly, Lenaghan and Sengupta ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref33">15</reflink>]) found that adult learners with the parallel roles of full-time employment and part-time evening classes were more likely to drop out or achieve unsatisfactory results in their studies. Basing on these findings, literature suggests that adult learners wedged in such a situation need social support from their employers, colleagues, and lecturers (Gurung, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref34">8</reflink>]; Mjwanga, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref35">20</reflink>]). This is an attempt to help them reduce the amount of stress experienced and cope better in dealing with stressful situations while accomplishing both their career roles and academic endeavours.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-13">Family Responsibilities</hd> <p>Apart from career responsibilities, adult learners reported during interviews that they had family responsibilities which significantly interfered with their studies. In this regard, three-quarters of the participants had the family responsibilities of being a mother, father, wife, or husband and therefore, being responsible for taking care of children and/or a spouse. Apart from being the main caretakers of their children, mothers had additional responsibilities of doing house chores such as cooking, washing, and other domestic chores alongside their studies. Notably, being a single parent exacerbated the complexity of the problem as the learner assumed the roles of both the mother and father while studying. In other words, the level of the university adult learners' academic achievements essentially depended on the weight of family responsibilities. As a result, unusual delays in completing their studies as well as lower retention and completion rates were rampant. Ziems ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref36">34</reflink>]) affirmed that college adult learners with parental and marital roles tend to have limited time for meeting the demands of their studies, with poor academic achievements, prolonged completion time, and sometimes dropping out arising from their failure to balance these delicate roles. In this current study, female adult learners were more overwhelmed with such responsibilities because of their African cultural-gendered role of taking care within the family, which eventually affected their academic progress. The findings are also supported by the global reports which suggest that most women spend more time on the primary unpaid work of caring children than do their male partners (Payne et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref37">24</reflink>]). A flexible online learning environment would support university adult learners to bridge the gap of inequity between men and women.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-14">Social Responsibilities</hd> <p>Adult learners revealed that they pursued their postgraduate programmes while assuming multiple social responsibilities. Indeed, all the adult learners in the evening programmes reported fulfilling several social responsibilities while studying on a part-time basis. These social engagements included occasional events such as weddings and funerals, kitchen and send-off parties, and religious and domestic functions, which consumed much of their time for studies. In fact, the more social groups the learners were involved in, the more responsibilities they fulfilled, to the detriment of their academic undertaking. Similarly, Filipponi-Berardinelli ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref38">5</reflink>]) and Somuah ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref39">27</reflink>]) found that adult learners had additional social responsibilities besides family, work, and studentship responsibilities. Since adult learners are an integral part of the society, these social responsibilities tend to eat a sizeable chunk of their time and consequently compromise their academic performance and programme completion.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-15">Extra Income-Generating Activities</hd> <p>Interviews with adult learners further revealed that they engaged with different extra income-generating activities in tandem with their studies to raise income for their tuition and cover other costs of living. Also, adult learners had family and social responsibilities in their extended families, which competed for their financial support. They had to attend to social responsibilities such as paying school fees for their children and for their own studies; paying house rents; supporting their parents, siblings, and other relatives; paying for transport; catering for basic needs such as food, clothes, and shelter; clearing bills such as electricity, water, and television subscriptions; paying for communications; and making other different contributions in their communities. Thus, to accomplish all these cumulative and competing needs, many adult learners found alternative income-generating projects since what was left of their salary was not sufficient. Adult learners were more preoccupied with income-generating activities, which ultimately further eroded their limited time for their studies. This scenario had a negative impact on their studies in terms of learning and performance and, consequently, caused a slowdown in their academic programme completion.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-16">Perceived Impact of Multiple Responsibilities on Adult Learners' Academic Achievements</hd> <p>For the researchers to solicit adequate information that clearly describes the impact of multiple responsibilities on the university adult learners' academic performance, participants were asked about how these multiple responsibilities affected their learning and academic progress.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-17">Missing and/or Late Attendance at Lectures</hd> <p>The adult learners reported that they missed some lectures and, sometimes, arrived late to classes. Six out of twenty participants reported having missed lectures regularly, mostly due to the reasons associated with their multiple responsibilities. Moreover, eight out of twenty adult learners attended classes late. Generally, university adult learners missed or arrived late at lectures due to work responsibilities, attending meetings, participating in social events such as funerals, family responsibilities such as taking care of sick relatives, and engaging with extra income-generating activities. University adult learners shared that there were direct and indirect family and work obligations that were constantly competing and putting a strain on their learning process. These obligations included the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate family needs such as providing the financial support required and fulfilling their described roles at work, and all this weighed on them heavily and directly, which in turn impacted their ability to perform well at the university. These findings suggest that many of the university adult learners in the evening programmes struggled to attend lectures as scheduled because of the absence of permission to leave their workplaces early enough on the one hand and the family obligations on the other hand.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-18">Lack of Concentration on Lectures Due to Fatigue</hd> <p>Interview responses revealed that adult learners attended classes when they were tired because they were fully committed to career, family, and social responsibilities for most of the daytime. For instance, one learner suggested the following:</p> <p>I had a challenge of coming to the lectures on time. Apart from the entire day of work commitments, it was quite horrible and hectic to arrive at the university due to persistent traffic jams in the city [especially during evenings when everyone was going back home from work]. So, I always felt so tired and drowsy during the lecture sessions.</p> <p>Under such circumstances, it was increasingly difficult for the exhausted learners to grasp the lessons, and their academic performances dwindled. Gatmaitan ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref40">7</reflink>]) argued that adult learners fail to concentrate on their studies as they become overwhelmed with multiple responsibilities. Arguably, the revealed findings suggest that the multiple responsibilities among adult learners created more demands than they could handle, hence leading to role overload and conflict due to clashing demands amidst too insufficient time. Consequently, the multiple responsibilities negatively impacted their academic performance, as well predicted by the guiding theory of the current study, i.e., Role Stress Theory (Home, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref41">12</reflink>]). Furthermore, in the perspectives of Hall's ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref42">9</reflink>]) model of coping with the role conflicts as a complementary model for the current study, adult learners could shift their individualised role demands by setting priorities to meet academic demands. Improving the quality of role performance without necessarily changing the structural or personal definition of their roles is key. Thus, prioritising activities and balancing work hours are important coping strategies in accomplishing their learning activities.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-19">Limited Time for Personal Studies</hd> <p>Many participants reported failing to set aside specific times for their personal studies, even during preparations for the examinations. Thus, it was difficult for most of the adult learners to accomplish assignments and prepare meaningfully for examinations; as a result, they largely depended on lecture notes. It was also difficult for them to complete their research projects. In this regard, an adult learner reported the following:</p> <p>As a secondary school teacher, I am fully engaged with teaching, preparing lessons, class notes, exercises, tests, exams, and marking my students' homework. I used to do my assignments based on the notes given by the lecturers without further reading. There was no time for library as I used to arrive at the university very late to attend the lectures. Probably, a reliable and easy access to online materials in our library could help us read online within our limited time.</p> <p>This is evidence to suggest that the programmes were offered in a context of inadequate facilities and support services which uniquely focus on the nature of evening programme students. For instance, the learning environment of less interactive online materials that could be accessible on campus, at home, or at work for more self-learning adversely affected university adult learners in their learning and eventually on their academic performance and completion. These institutional barriers compelled adult learners to largely depend on face-to-face sessions in the evenings, which was a recipe for poor performances.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-20">Limited Time for Individual and Group Assignments</hd> <p>Being too busy with their office work and excessive engagement with extra income-generating activities rendered many adult learners incapable of participating in group assignments. It was admitted by one adult learner as follows:</p> <p>I used to do my assignments under pressure because of the time constraint. As an employed teacher, I am fully involved in teaching before I come to the lectures. So, I usually do my assignments based on the notes from the lecturers without consulting further resources, as the time is too limited for me to find other relevant materials. This situation sometimes compels me to ask my colleagues to do the group works and include my name in the list as a phantom participant.</p> <p>The philosophy behind group assignments is to cultivate the "interconnectedness of the self and the community, a value that is deep-rooted in the <emph>ubuntu</emph> philosophy" (Majani, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref43">17</reflink>], p.147). When adult learners fail to grapple with this need of acquiring collaborative skills from group assignments, some of them engage in various malpractices such as the mentioned in the excerpt above. This malpractice of doing assignments for others has a negative bearing on the acquisition of competencies of graduates negotiating their academic path this way. Some university adult learners failed to meet assignment submission deadlines because their family, career, and social responsibilities deterred them from doing the assigned works on time. So, they asked for extensions. These dispositional barriers compelled adult learners to do their assignments under duress because of limited time. It is on this ground that a comparative study by Nyandara ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref44">22</reflink>]) on the use of Information and Communication Technologies in open and distance learning in Tanzania and China recommended the improvement of access to and use of technology in instruction to meet the demands of adult learners who are mostly constrained with time to attend classes. Indeed, to align with the adult learners' desires to perform academically as they wish to while being equally effective in other life-roles, proper management of their time and daily schedules was a key component. This is supported in the literature as a means to handle the rigours of their daily challenging lives at home, at work, and at the university (Joseph, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref45">14</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-21">Compromised Adult Learners' Academic Performance</hd> <p>The participants reported that university adult learners in the evening programmes suffered adversely because of their multiple responsibilities. The limited time for lecture attendance, personal and group assignments, personal reading, and library search further compromised the academic performance of many adult learners. Subsequently, many of them submitted their assignments late, arrived late for lectures, and missed some lectures. All these shortcomings had implications for their academic performance and eventually on their programme completion. These findings suggest that the university adult learners were experiencing some barriers that hindered their academic achievements. In the current study, it was revealed that female university learners were more affected because they tended to score moderate grades and long delays in completing their programme circles as compared to their male counterparts in the same programme. Table 2 shows a significant discrepancy between female and male adult learners in the evening programmes on their academic progress made over the years from 2016 to 2020.</p> <p>Table 2. Adult learners' academic progress by gender in the evening programmes (2016–2020).</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Registered Year</td><td char=".">2016</td><td char=".">2017</td><td char=".">2018</td><td char=".">2019</td><td char=".">2020</td></tr><tr><td>Uncompleted Adult Learners</td><td>M(%)</td><td>F(%)</td><td>M(%)</td><td>F(%)</td><td>M(%)</td><td>F(%)</td><td>M(%)</td><td>F(%)</td><td>M(%)</td><td>F(%)</td></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td>MAED</td><td>Gender in %</td><td>2(40)</td><td>3(60)</td><td>0(0)</td><td>2(100)</td><td>2(33)</td><td>4(67)</td><td>1(50)</td><td>1(50)</td><td>4(67)</td><td>2(33)</td></tr><tr><td>% Out of Registered</td><td>67</td><td>33</td><td>0</td><td>40</td><td>100</td><td>50</td><td>100</td><td>33</td><td>100</td><td>100</td></tr><tr><td>MEMA</td><td>Gender in %</td><td>5(42)</td><td>7(58)</td><td>5(50)</td><td>5(50)</td><td>6(40)</td><td>9(60)</td><td>8(35)</td><td>15(65)</td><td>7(37)</td><td>12(63)</td></tr><tr><td>% Out of Registered</td><td>50</td><td>41</td><td>45</td><td>38</td><td>46</td><td>100</td><td>100</td><td>83</td><td>100</td><td>100</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>1 <emph>Sources</emph>: 1. University of Dar es Salaam Graduation Books (2016–2020).</p> <p>2 2. School of Education Postgraduate Registration Forms (2016–2020).</p> <p>The unsatisfactory academic progress among female adult learners is illustrated in Table 2. Such a phenomenon can be attributed to various factors but especially the situational barriers such as the African cultural-gendered role of taking care of children while sacrificing their time for studies (Doan & De Jaeger, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref46">3</reflink>]; Payne et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref47">24</reflink>]). Mjwanga ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref48">20</reflink>]) corroborated that the unsupportive Tanzanian home context creates stress, reduces learning attention, and interferes with the academic performance of most female adult learners of the Open University because they spend more time taking care of their families compared to their male counterparts. Although female adult learners were much affected, the overall academic progress of both female and male adults in Table 2 may suggest further that due to their commitment to other responsibilities, dispositional barriers such as their heightened roles, demands, and time conflicts translated into role conflict, role overload, and role contagion and consequently compromised their studies by creating difficulties in balancing those roles (Doan & De Jaeger, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref49">3</reflink>]).</p> <p>However, it was revealed further that adult learners' academic performance varied across individuals depending on their ability to manage time and balance responsibilities. This situation accounts for some adult learners registering low grades while others posted high grades. Despite the shortcomings on their academic path, the few participants who progressed and performed better academically embedded in their responses to the interview questions the concept of being determined to finish their degree programmes, coupled with proper time management and the passion to learn. While their inner strengths kept them on positive progress academically, when the three aspects of desire, endurance, and passion are possessed and used on a daily basis, learners tend to progress steadfastly on the path towards completing their programmes (Joseph, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref50">14</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-22">Delayed Programme Completion among Adult Learners</hd> <p>A trend of evening programme completion rates among the university adult learners from the case school was established from interview responses and a review of the university graduation booklets and its <emph>Facts and Figures</emph> (UDSM, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref51">28</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref52">29</reflink>]). Table 3 presents information about those who completed their evening programmes in each academic year from 2015 to 2022.</p> <p>Table 3. Trend of adult learners' enrolment and completion in the evening programmes (2015–2022).</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Registered Academic Year</td><td>Registered A/Learners</td><td>Graduated in 2018</td><td>%</td><td>Graduated in 2019</td><td>%</td><td>Graduated in 2020</td><td>%</td><td>Graduated in 2021</td><td>%</td><td>Graduated in 2022</td><td>%</td><td>Ungraduated Until 2022</td><td>%</td></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td>MAED Evening Programme</td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>11</td><td>5</td><td>45.4</td><td>1</td><td>9.1</td><td>1</td><td>9.1</td><td>1</td><td>9.1</td><td>2</td><td>18.2</td><td>1</td><td>9.1</td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>12</td><td /><td /><td>1</td><td>8.3</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>25</td><td>3</td><td>25</td><td>5</td><td>41.6</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>6</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>3</td><td>50</td><td>1</td><td>16.7</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>33.3</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>10</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>1</td><td>10</td><td>3</td><td>30</td><td>6</td><td>60</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>4</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>2</td><td>50</td><td>2</td><td>50</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>6</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>6</td><td>100</td></tr><tr><td><bold><italic>Sub-Total</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>49</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>5</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>10.2</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>2</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>4.1</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>4</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>8.2</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>6</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>12.2</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>10</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>20.4</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>22</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>45</italic></bold></td></tr><tr><td>MEMA Evening Programme</td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>28</td><td>7</td><td>25</td><td>2</td><td>7.1</td><td>2</td><td>7.1</td><td>1</td><td>3.6</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>16</td><td>57.1</td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>27</td><td /><td /><td>4</td><td>14.8</td><td>3</td><td>11.1</td><td>3</td><td>11.1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>17</td><td>63</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>24</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>8</td><td>33.3</td><td>2</td><td>8.3</td><td>3</td><td>12.5</td><td>11</td><td>45.8</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>22</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>1<xref ref-type="table-fn" rid="tfn5">*</xref></td><td>4.5</td><td>4</td><td>18.2</td><td>5</td><td>22.7</td><td>12</td><td>54.5</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>26</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>4</td><td>15.4</td><td>22</td><td>84.6</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>19</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td>19</td><td>100</td></tr><tr><td><bold><italic>Sub-Total</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>146</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>7</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>4.8</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>6</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>4.1</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>14</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>9.6</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>10</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>6.8</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>12</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>8.2</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>97</italic></bold></td><td><bold><italic>66.4</italic></bold></td></tr><tr><td><bold>Grand-Total</bold></td><td><bold>195</bold></td><td><bold>12</bold></td><td><bold>6.1</bold></td><td><bold>8</bold></td><td><bold>4.1</bold></td><td><bold>18</bold></td><td><bold>9.2</bold></td><td><bold>16</bold></td><td><bold>8.2</bold></td><td><bold>22</bold></td><td><bold>11.3</bold></td><td><bold>119</bold></td><td><bold>61</bold></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <ulist> <item>3 <emph>Sources</emph>: 1. University of Dar es Salaam Graduation Books (2015–2022).</item> <item>4 2. School of Education Postgraduate Registration Forms (2015–2020).</item> <item>5 *Completed on time.</item> </ulist> <p>The normal programme completion time for all evening programmes is 18 months. As indicated in Table 3, however, none of the 49 MAED adult learners registered from the academic years 2015 to 2020 completed their studies on time, whereas 27 (55.1%) completed beyond the normal duration, spending over a seven-year period, while 22 (45%) failed to complete their studies up until the 2022 academic year. Exceptionally, for the MEMA evening programme, only one (0.7%) out of the 146 registered adult learners from 2015 to 2020 completed their studies within the allotted time, 49 (33.5%) completed their programmes over a seven-year period, and 97 (66.4%) were unable to complete their studies up until 2022. Even though the university expects the evening programme to be more or less the same as regular programmes, there are obvious gaps between learners' responsibilities and time spent at university. Indeed, there are fundamental differences between evening and regular programmes, as well as the learners' expectations and institutional rules that may not always be the same for all university students (Payne et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref53">24</reflink>]).</p> <p>Overall, adult learners in both the MAED and MEMA evening programmes took about three to seven years to complete their degree programmes. The interview responses attributed this problem to multiple responsibilities. Consequently, such a prolonged completion demoralised them, and their respective supervisors became overloaded as they started supervising new students while still dealing with the previous years' backlogs. Data from interviews further revealed that most of the adult learners in the evening programmes were more engaged in their academic matters during coursework than during the proposal and dissertation writing stages. The participants explained that the formal schedules and strict deadlines of coursework hours compelled them to attend lectures, study, and do assignments, tests, and university examinations, which was not the case after completing the coursework stage. Most of them reportedly failed to prioritise this component of their master's programme, which eventually determined their completion time. Darolia ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref54">2</reflink>]) similarly found that students who spent most of their time on career activities in the United States prolonged completion time of their degrees. Nonetheless, how adult learners overcome their learning challenges, take control of their educational journeys, and manage their life roles is commonly determined by establishing and maintaining adequate levels of internal beliefs such as self-efficacy, feeling in control, and generating internal rewards (Gagnon & Packard, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref55">6</reflink>]).</p> <p>The lower retention and completion rates amongst the university adult learners in the evening programmes reported in Table 3 may be much more connected with institutional barriers such as lack of learner support services including academic guidance (Matiba & Mngulwi, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref56">19</reflink>]), access to information and study materials, counselling services, and related equipment. According to Payne et al. ([<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref57">24</reflink>]), the same challenges may be connected with the lack of understanding of the nature of this potential group of adult learners than with the nature of the programme itself. All these aspects occur at the expense of adult learners, who tend to endure unsatisfactory academic performance, drop out, or unnecessarily delay completion. On this basis, it is clear that the university adult learners in the evening programmes were underserved due to the lack of wider opportunities and supportive mechanisms that could assist in widening their participation while considering their multiple responsibilities.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-23">Conclusion and Recommendations</hd> <p>Irrespective of the mode of learning they undertake, adult learners have multiple responsibilities, but adults who enrol in the evening programmes have far more multiple responsibilities (Haule, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref58">10</reflink>]). Multiple responsibilities had the potential of adversely affecting the academic performance and programme completion of the adult learners enrolled in the evening programmes. Despite the difficulties among the university adult learners in the current study, the degree of the effect and variation in academic performance largely depended on individual learners' efforts, personal optimism, strength, and coping strategies. Thus, these findings may enable us to relate to how adult learners' sense of desire, endurance, and purpose directly influence their experiences while pursuing evening postgraduate degree programmes. In addition, several situational, dispositional, and institutional barriers amidst the multiple responsibilities of university adult learners may negatively impact the academic performance and degree completion rates of those who lack proper coping strategies. To counter this problem, there is a need for the university to establish more contextual and inclusive learning support systems that consider both the needs and potentials of this group, as well as reliable access to materials through online platforms to widen participation and expedite learning among university adult learners. In addition, adult learners need academic guidance services to enable them to make informed decisions in planning and balancing their multiple responsibilities during such evening part-time postgraduate education.</p> <hd id="AN0178530604-24">Disclosure Statement</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.</p> <ref id="AN0178530604-25"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref31" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. 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Sanga's research interests include adult and distance education, higher education, alternative assessment for learning, research methods in education, and lifelong learning.</p> <p>Gennes Hendry Shirima is a lecturer of adult and non-formal education. Shirima's research interests include management of adult and non-formal education, policy issues in adult and non-formal education, and community-based research.</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib30" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib31" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib32" firstref="ref6"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref11"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref12"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref15"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref17"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib34" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref22"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref24"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref25"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref27"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref28"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref35"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl20" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref37"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl21" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref43"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl22" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref44"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl23" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref51"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl24" bibid="bib29" firstref="ref52"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl25" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref56"></nolink>
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An: EJ1432091
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Reflecting on Experiences of Learning among Adult Learners with Multiple Responsibilities: A Case of Evening Programmes at a University in Tanzania
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Philipo+Lonati+Sanga%22">Philipo Lonati Sanga</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5267-5438">0000-0001-5267-5438</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gennes+Hendry+Shirima%22">Gennes Hendry Shirima</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1480-2165">0000-0002-1480-2165</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Continuing+Higher+Education%22"><i>Journal of Continuing Higher Education</i></searchLink>. 2024 72(2):221-236.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 16
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Adult+Education%22">Adult Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adult+Students%22">Adult Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Responsibility%22">Student Responsibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Universities%22">Universities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Evening+Programs%22">Evening Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduate+Students%22">Graduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Masters+Programs%22">Masters Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Part+Time+Students%22">Part Time Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Socioeconomic+Influences%22">Socioeconomic Influences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Achievement%22">Academic Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Attainment%22">Educational Attainment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Experience%22">Student Experience</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tanzania%22">Tanzania</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1080/07377363.2023.2242954
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0737-7363<br />1948-4801
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The focus of this paper is to report the findings of a qualitative study whose purpose was to analyse the experiences of adult learners pursuing evening postgraduate degree programmes at the university level in Tanzania. Using ethnographic research combined with multiple case research design, together with in-depth interviews and documentary review, data were generated from 20 postgraduate students from one school within a university in Tanzania. The resulting qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The study found that university adult learners in these evening programmes combined learning with their full-time employment, family, and social responsibilities as well as extra income-generating activities. Inevitably, these multiple responsibilities, as the study established, adversely affected their academic performance and duration for programme completion. In fact, completion on a part-time basis depended on dispositional factors such as individual learner's efforts and strategies adopted to cope with the situation, with many others either delaying completion or dropping out altogether. This scenario invites rethinking the modus operandi of programmes to facilitate postgraduate students' completion rates amid widening participation in higher education.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1432091
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1432091
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/07377363.2023.2242954
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 221
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Adult Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Responsibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Universities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Evening Programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Graduate Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Masters Programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Part Time Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Socioeconomic Influences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Attainment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tanzania
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Reflecting on Experiences of Learning among Adult Learners with Multiple Responsibilities: A Case of Evening Programmes at a University in Tanzania
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Philipo Lonati Sanga
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gennes Hendry Shirima
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0737-7363
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1948-4801
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 72
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Continuing Higher Education
              Type: main
ResultId 1