The impact of life experiences on learning and the return to formal education in the HE classroom

The told life journeys of learners returning to formal education are important to recognise, first, to name the learning that occurs in the social contexts of family, community and work; and second, to appreciate the compelling connection between this learning and higher education (HE). The concept of what is viewed as important in education lies at the heart of this chapter, which is based on the author’s doctoral study that was focussed on giving voice to the often-overlooked, mature part-time student, in order to recognise their brought assets, gained through past experiences. A biographical approach using semi-structured interviews based on a life-history grid allowed for the voices of the learners to be heard and their stories acknowledged. Findings indicate learning does arise from the everyday and there is a pattern to what is said about the specific intra- and interpersonal skills accrued. Past experiences are a resource for the adult learner, and time spent away from the classroom is not a learning gap. The resulting affective assets are significant to academic study, enhancing and supporting the cognitive. HE needs to see the value of this learning and its resulting assets, including motivation, resilience, independence, team work and emotional intelligence, to resurrect the social justice agenda of ‘Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning’ and seize this academic potential for the benefit of the learners and the academy alike.