Abstract

Human social behaviour could be seen to be based on cultural, social and environmental influences. In the organised society of a university, the approach and response of an individual, or a group, to a particular situation can be reviewed for the benefit of sociologists, educators and educational researchers. This paper, based on research involving professional rural women, indicated that the social complexities experienced preceding and during participation in that environment could have significant bearing on the attainment of desired qualifications. While the decisions to attend university were made for diverse reasons, both imposed by others and as a result of self-determination, the professional women reported, from their mature and reflective positions, upon their self-assessed views of their sociological-educational experiences. The issues arising from the research can be related to matters influencing the development of policy and process in the adjustment of students from a rural to urban tertiary environment.