Persistence of Nontraditional-Aged Students in the Profession of Occupational Therapy

• In Event: Characteristics of Students in Professional Education Programs

Abstract

Non-traditional aged students are gravitating to majors in the professions and there are few studies in which retention theories have been applied to students in the professions. This study explored how non-traditional aged students in professional level occupational therapy programs persisted despite facing obstacles.
Cross-case analysis discovered what factors helped students persist in their programs. One factor facilitating their persistence was unique and is not explicitly mentioned in the education retention literature. Participants all spoke of a desire to become someone different. Enrollment in their program was viewed as a way to enact this desire to become “a new possible self.”

Author

• Susan P. Tons, Baker College Center for Graduate Studies