Older adults and learning: social dimensions

1
Older adults and learning social dimensions

• Early professional beginnings
• democratisation of education
• social equity issues
• Study leave in 1999 UGA, Georgia, U of Surrey,
  UK
• ASPBAE conference in Singapore
• Teaching paper Learning in later life

2
Societal influences

• Discourse of lifelong learning and the
  learning society
• Public policy interest in third age learning
  (local national international)
• Demographic changes worldwide

3
Conceptions of educational gerontology

• Who are older adults?
• Education and learning
• Third age learning (Laslett, 1989)
• Contexts for learning informal non-formal
  formal (Jarvis, 1985)
• Philosophies of older adults education
• Expressive vs instrumental learning
• Needs-based learning (McClusky, 1974)

4
Ageing and social change

• Historical time
• Cohort effects (e.g. baby boomers)
• Popular images (e.g. via media)
• Moral panic over the elderly
• Concept of structural lag (Riley Riley, 1994)
• Ageism and discrimination

5
Myths and realities of older adults

• Homogeneity vs heterogeneity
• Decrepitude vs fitness
• Dependence vs independence vs interdependence
• Consumer vs producer

6
Participation of older adults in education

• Patterns similar to other studies in adult
  education
• Profile of non-participants the marginalised
  in society
• Motivation studies of past endorsed in older
  adults participation social relationships
  external expectations social welfare
  professional advancement escape cognitive
  interest
• Barriers to learning situational,
  institutional, informational, psycho-social
• Outside the mainstream Toughs learning
  projects

7
Needs-based approach

• Coping needs adults engaged in physical
  fitness, basic education economic
  self-sufficiency
• Expressive needs taking part in learning for
  its own sake
• Contributive needs adults becoming useful
  contributors to society
• Influence adults becoming agents for social
  change

8
Provision of older adult education

• Diversity of providers and programmes
• Philosophical diversity
• Spectrum of providers from self-help agencies
  with almost total control of learning to those
  which are neglectful
• Outside the education framework (e.g. Age
  Concern)
• Workplace learning

9
Critical perspectives

• Away from functionalist (deficit) positioning
• Notion of empowerment power with rather than
  power over redistribution of power (Marxist)
• Phillipson (2000) Critical approaches
• political economy (gender social class
  ethnicity geography etc)
• humanist concern for the meaning older adults
  give to daily lives in routines relationships
• biographical narratives related to social
  construction of later life.

10
Research project Older adults learning
patterns in Auckland

• Brief history of project OPAL Network Auckland
  Singaporean conference
• Rationale for study neglect of older adults
  learning critical holistic perspectives
• Funding source
• Management team
• Ethics approval

11
Research design

• Participatory/collaborative involvement of
  older adults in planning implementation
• Primarily qualitative using semi-structured
  interviews
• Focus on two sub-regions of Auckland
• Using existing groups within regions
• Initial target of 120 participants

12
Research strategies

• Group design of the questionnaire
• Pilot interviews of 7 people adjustments made
  to questionnaire
• Co-researchers from groups trained
• Invitations to participate in both oral written
  form
• Interviews conducted in situ
• Transcriptions by older adults

13
Questionnaire content

• Part A Biographical data
• Part B Questions in following areas
• Family early years of learning/schooling
• friendships networks group membership
• cultural activities work/retirement community
• involvement leisure hobbies religion
• spirituality lifestyle changes learning
• opportunities

14
Sample characteristics

• n72 (7 pilot interviews separate)
• Gender 55 women 17 men
• Age 55-59 8
• 60-64 7
• 65-69 15
• 70-74 18
• 75-79 11
• 80-84 7
• 85 4

15
Sample characteristics (cont.)

• Mix of singles, married, divorced
• Education 53 with tertiary qualifications
• Ethnicity- Overwhelmingly Pakeha
• Income/assets full range (several millionaires)
• In work 32
• Health majority very good

16
Participating groups

• Franklin/Pukekohe
• Franklin U3A (18)
• Probus Club Pukekohe (7)
• North Shore
• Northbridge Retirement Village (5)
• Takapuna CAB (3)
• Birkenhead U3A (18)
• ESOL Home Tutors Scheme (Northcote) (21)

17
Emergent categories/themes

• Engagement/disengagement in life
• Inter-generational learning
• Self-directed learning vs group
• Voluntary work volunteering
• Gender analysis
• Life issues (e.g. immigration divorce)
• Technology engagement effects
• Advocacy- involvement in political issues

18
Challenges Ahead

• Analysis of data extent consistency
• Continuity competing work agendas situation
  of research assistance
• Funding cut-off period
• Involve marginalised groups (e.g.Maori working
  people)?
• Publications