Online distance higher education (ODHE) has significantly expanded opportunities for participation in university study, enabling access for learners who may previously have been excluded from traditional higher education pathways. Many of these learners come from non-traditional backgrounds, including working-class or lower socio-economic status (SES) groups and students with lower prior educational attainment. While widening participation initiatives have increased access to higher education, disparities in retention and attainment between advantaged and disadvantaged students persist. Understanding how these disparities are experienced within online learning environments therefore remains an important issue for both research and educational practice.
Existing research has examined student retention, widening participation, and online learning as largely separate areas of inquiry. However, relatively little empirical work has explored how these factors interact for non-traditional students studying in online distance environments. Studies frequently treat online learners as a homogeneous population or emphasise individual motivation and self-regulation, often overlooking the ways in which institutional practices, course design, and structural inequalities shape students’ experiences. This study addresses this gap by centring the lived experiences of non-traditional students studying in online distance higher education.
The study adopts a critical research paradigm and interpretivist epistemology, informed by Freirean perspectives on education and social justice. A longitudinal qualitative design will be used to examine how students’ experiences of online higher education evolve over time. Between twelve and fifteen undergraduate students studying in an online distance university will participate in four waves of semi-structured interviews conducted across the duration of their degree programmes. Participants will also be invited to contribute optional reflective diary entries between interview waves in order to capture contemporaneous reflections on their learning experiences. Data will be analysed using thematic analysis to develop cumulative case profiles that trace participants’ evolving experiences of belonging, confidence, and interaction with institutional structures.
As the study is currently at the proposal stage, the anticipated findings are expected to provide deeper insight into how non-traditional students navigate online higher education and how institutional practices shape their persistence and attainment. By integrating student narratives with institutional continuation and attainment data, the research aims to contribute to a more holistic understanding of retention in online distance higher education.
The findings are expected to inform more inclusive approaches to online course design and institutional support, contributing to ongoing efforts to ensure that widening access to higher education is accompanied by equitable opportunities for success.