The value of higher education

Full-time or part-time

Bibliographic Data

ID4096793
AuthorsMalcolm Tight (0000-0003-3379-8613, Birkbeck, University of London, corresponding author)
Year1987
Volume12
Issue2
Pages169-185
Publication date1987-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03075078712331378161
OpenAlexW2070881783
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited16

Consideration of the value of higher education is made difficult by problems of definition, the alternative perspectives possible and the need to place any evaluation in a comparative setting. This paper addresses these difficulties by comparing the value (and values) of two alternative forms of higher education, full-time and part-time, in terms of six related themes—demand, access and equity; maturity and adulthood; employment and activity; residence; cost-effectiveness and productivity; flexibility and innovation. It concludes that part-time higher education is seriously undervalued in this country, and that a shift in the balance of provision is required in order to increase the overall value of higher education for most people in most circumstances. A framework for examining the value of higher education alongside alternative activities or investments is then briefly presented

Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Full-time · Higher education · Labour economics · Management · Political science · Productivity · Public economics · Residence · Sociology · Travel time · Value of time · Engineering · Higher Education Governance and Development · Higher Education Learning Practices · Higher Education Research Studies · Mathematics · Psychology · Finance