Sheet of LAFRANCESCHINA Jessye

Thesis funded by RITM – BFC

Thesis supervisor: Claire Bonnard
Thesis co-supervisor: Julien Berthaud

Thesis topic : Returning students: what transition and academic success in university education?

Summary of thesis:

Continuing education is a traditional mission of higher education institutions in France. Despite a diversification of academic pathways following recent reforms, there has been little research into students ‘returning to study’, resulting in these groups being ‘invisible’. The main challenge lies in the complexity of identifying this diverse group, with their varied profiles and multiple motivations for joining the course. These students, often referred to as ‘returners’ or ‘non-traditional’, have higher drop-out and failure rates than traditional students, due to obstacles such as family burdens, loneliness and insufficient integration into university activities. The aim of this thesis project is to gain a better understanding of this group by focusing on three main areas: identifying the profile and motivations of ‘returning’ students, understanding their transition to higher education, and analysing the factors specific to this group in terms of perseverance and academic success. The methodology adopted is mixed, combining quantitative and qualitative surveys. Data from the Observatoire de la Vie Etudiante (Student Life Observatory) will be used to draw up an overview of students returning to study, and a longitudinal survey will be carried out at the University of Burgundy to identify in detail their conditions for academic success. The expected results will enable us to gain a better understanding of this group of students who have been little studied until now, to understand their learning conditions and the obstacles they encounter during their studies, and to identify the key factors for academic success as well as the relevant support measures to be implemented.