Age?group differences in the psychological well?being and academic attainment of distance learners

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Abstract
This was an exploratory study of possible differences in reported symptoms of psychological well‐being and academic attainment among a representative sample of 379 U.K. Open University distance learners. Three levels of the independent variable of Age were observed: under 30, 30–40, and over 40. There were two numerical dependent variables: student scores on the eight scales of a self‐report on feelings about study; and academic attainment in both course work and end‐of‐session examination. Students in the under 30 and 30—40 age groups performed significantly better in the end‐of‐session examination than the over 40s. But no difference was observed in course work assessment. By contrast, the over 40 group was better organised, more highly motivated, and work‐satisfied than the other two groups. A plausible explanation for these results is that the presumed natural decline with age in cognitive functioning and response speed results in a performance deficit in the over 40s under the timed conditions of the end‐of‐session examination, where speed is of the essence. But the greater motivation and persistence of the over 40s compensates to some extent in course work assessment where there is less time stress. This result suggests that a mixed assessment strategy is a useful policy in distance learning.