Why Do they Enhance Lifelong Learning? Sociological Investigation on the Elders’ Learning Actions and Processes

• In Event: Adult education: practice, theory, and debate

Proposal

A. Purpose
Gerontology is a field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older. Gerontologists investigate age, aging, and the aged. Regarding to this stereotypes and the promotion of lifelong learning, it strongly acknowledges that the learning action will empower the elders' successful and active aging in the later life-span.
B. Theoretical Review
This study explores the elders' learning experience by referring to the “structuration theory” which proposed and discoursed by the sociologist Anthony Giddens. Alongside practical and discursive consciousness, Giddens (1984) recognizes actors as having reflexive, contextual knowledge, and that habitual, widespread use of knowledge ability makes structures become institutionalized.
Stucturation theory used concepts from objectivist and subjectivist social theories, discarding objectivism's focus on detached structures, which lacked regard for humanist elements and subjectivism's exclusive attention to individual or group agency without consideration for socio-structural context, structuration theory sees agent as active participants. Giddens (1993) observed that in social analysis, the term structure referred generally to "rules and resources" and more specifically to "the structuring properties allowing the 'binding' of time-space in social systems“. Therefore, it exists the duality of structure which Giddens (1991) uses "the duality of structure" (i.e. material/ideational, micro/macro) to emphasize structure's nature as both medium and outcome.
Structuration theory recognizes a social cycle. Structures exists both internally within agents as memory traces that are the product of phenomenological and hermeneutic inheritance and externally as the manifestation of social actions. The duality is not a rigid or fixed consequence but the duality of structure is essentially a feedback–feedforward process whereby agents and structures mutually enact social systems, and social systems in turn become part of that duality. It will be able to demonstrate the elders’ conditions and actions which were embedded in the society according to personal willingness and choices.
C. Research Design and Methods
The research approach is qualitative and adopts multiple research methods to attain the solid evidence-based frameworks, expositions and interpretations of the emerging crucial conception of action and structure of lifelong learning for the elders' learning resources, environments and opportunities. The research approach is qualitative and adopts multiple research methods to attain the solid evidence-based frameworks, expositions and interpretations of the emerging crucial conception of action and structure of lifelong learning for the elders' learning resources, environments, opportunities and limitations. The samples for in-depth interview of elders who are older than 65 years old and have engaged in learning and taking courses in the Taiwan’s community college more than 5 years.
D. Conclusions and Recommendations
This study leads to abundant discourses and reflections related to the issues of elder learning actions and limitations and the empirical interviews and analysis contribute to a clear and definite direction of future policy making toward a progressive and improvement learning systems for elder learners. With these researching outcomes, we can suggest a sound perspective and policy for ageing society.
1. Problems and self-respect
Physical deregulation is really a core issue of elder group to go for learning, but, if participants indicated and agreed that going for learning activities will be positive to maintain their health conditions. Respect for self and value life can be realized by the processes of learning participation.
2. Motivations and relationship
Recognition and appreciation from the leaders of learning organization will enforce the elders’ learning motivation as well as achievement. Family support or reject the learning participation will influence the will of elders to go to learning.
3. Social action and self-identity
Learning is a social action which can be implied to reject control and avoid alienation by family and relationship. Interaction quality among teachers and classmates become a solid connection for elders to go on learning. When people retired from the career and job, it is critical to create a new self-identity and participate in a new club or groups according to their interests and capacity.
4. Opportunity and resource for all elders
Providing opportunities to study with people of various ages is a policy supported by elders. Participants show their care and concerns for other elders, and they thought that governments and administrative staff should play a key role to establish well-being environments for elders.
5. Agency and social system
Some elders enjoy more time to be alone, and others desire to attend community events. They all agree that learning in groups is good for physical and psychological improvement. Community universities are viewed as a common heritage and goods to support and provide a platform for elders being together.
6. Future Research recommendations
●Comparison on different variables of social status
●Comparison among countries
●Connection between social theory and social reality
●More participants to collect information

Author

• Amy Shumin Chen, Tatung University General Education Center