Qualitative Exploration of Timeliness of Pursuits of Higher Education By non-Traditional Female Baccalaureate Students In West Virginia

This research reflects a qualitative exploration of the timeliness of pursuits of higher education by females who were classified as non-traditional students at Concord College in southern West Virginia. The researcher studied females, educated in West Virginia, who had completed at least 30 semester hours, and who were at least 25 years of age at the time of admission. The study focused on identifying several factors common to many non-traditional students, including the factors that influenced them to not pursue their education as traditional students, the factors that changed so they recognized higher education as a viable option for themselves, and the factors that influenced them, positively or negatively, in their perseverance to continue in an undergraduate program.