How might mature students with low entry qualifications succeed in undergraduate science?

Widening participation has been a key UK higher education policy for at least 20 years, but accessing university remains challenging for mature (aged 21+) students with low prior educational qualifications. This is particularly apparent in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) disciplines, in which the lack of standard UK university matriculation requirements (two A levels) can increase the obstacles faced by vulnerable learners. Since 2013 the Open University has sought to address this by offering a preparatory STEM access module. In this article, the researchers report a comparative case study using a mixed methods approach to identify the extent to which the impact of a STEM access module was sustained into Level 4 science study. Analysis revealed that students progressing from the access module had a 24% greater chance of passing than a control group who entered the undergraduate programme directly. Results are discussed in relation to the increased confidence that the students acquired during their preparatory study. We relate the increased confidence of these students to two key aspects: first, an acquired tenacity, which helped learners navigate the initial challenging steps into undergraduate science; second, sustaining the confidence established by overcoming the maths fear factor.