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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Being an 'older learner' in higher education
— sustaining the will to learn | | Author(s) | Andrea Creech, Anita Pincas, Sue Hallam |
| Journal title | International Journal of Education and Ageing, vol 1, no 1, June 2010 |
| Publisher | Association for Education & Ageing - AEA, Leicester, June 2010 |
| Pages | pp 23-40 |
| Source | Institute of Lifelong Learning, Leicester University, Regent Road, Leicester, LE1 7AA. |
| Keywords | Universities ; Adult Education ; Learning capacity ; Social surveys. |
| Annotation | 131 higher education students aged 50+ were surveyed for this study exploring older learners' reasons for studying, their reports of the perceived benefits of being in higher education, and self-reports of confidence as learners. The results suggest that for these learners, personal and professional development were not two separate concepts, but rather were inextricably linked. The participants generally saw themselves as beneficiaries, in terms of intellectual development and enhanced self-confidence, within the academic community. They also derived satisfaction from being able to recognise their own contributions to their academic circles as well as their status as the role models amongst wider social circles. Self-Determination Theory provided a theoretical lens through which the will to learn amongst these participants could be interpreted as being sustained, by striving towards autonomy, competence and a sense of belonging. The study points towards the need for further research that investigates whether higher education learners aged 50+ share identifiable, specific learning and teaching needs. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-101129004 A |
| Classmark | V5: GP: DE: 3F |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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