Do i matter? distance learners’ experience of mattering / Nur Maizura Lin and Dr Noor Ahnis Othman

University mattering is a type of societal mattering where learners feel that they matter to other people at their university, the feeling of significance to other people as well as being depended upon. Mattering consists of five distinct constructs, and they include awareness, importance, reliance, ego-extension, and appreciation. The objectives that outlined this pilot study are to investigate distance learners’ experience of mattering with their peers and academic advisors at their higher learning institution. Respondents in this study consisted of distance learners of a public university in Malaysia coming from semester two onwards. In this qualitative research study, respondents were interviewed based on Schlossberg, LaSalle and Golec’s themes in the Mattering Scales for Adult Students in Postsecondary Education or also known as Mattering Scales for Adult Students in Higher Education. For the purpose of data collection, semi structured interviews were conducted via online and findings in this study showed the differing experiences of mattering coming from both genders. The findings are further discussed in this paper. Implications of this study are also mentioned for future reference.