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Adult Education Quarterly, Vol. 57, No. 1, 62-84 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0741713606292153

Liberation and Revitalization: The Choice and Meaning of Higher Education Among Israeli Female Students in Midlife

Izhar Oplatka

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Tova Tevel

Adult Education Centre for Natural Medicine

From a life-stage perspective, the purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of female students in midlife to enroll in an undergraduate or graduate program and the meaning they attach to higher education (HE) in general. An additional purpose was to reveal these women’s subjective perceptions of the benefits they gained from HE at this stage of life. Based on semistructured interviews with 15 Israeli women students in midlife, the results show that major processes experienced by women at this stage, such as a search for self-fulfillment and individual change, are related explicitly to the women’s decision to enroll in an HE institution. Likewise, the benefits of HE are constructed in terms of reframing identity, well-being, self-growth, and the like rather than extrinsic motives. Empirical and practical implications are discussed.

Key Words: adult learner • female learner • personal growth • midlife • adult student • gender


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