MOTIVATION FOR RETURN TO STUDY AS A PREDICTOR OF COMPLETION OF DEGREEAMONGST FEMALE MATURE STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN

The motivation for return to study, as measured by the Continuing Educ ation Women Questionnaire (modified), of 117 mature age female graduat es with children was compared with that of 118 former mature age femal e students with children who had discontinued a degree program before graduation. Motivation was found to relate to a number of predictors; including previous education, age, marital status, family life cycle s tage, satisfaction with previous employment and family support for ret urn to study. Interrupters as a group were found to be similar in moti vation to graduates. However, certain subgroups of interrupters scored higher on those aspects of motivation which stressed study as a way t o ameliorate or escape from unpleasant or difficult life circumstances . These same difficult circumstances in turn made graduation more unli kely and led to discontinuance. The conclusion is drawn that Life circ umstances may be a more parsimonious predictor of attrition in this po pulation than motivation.