As the population of older adults increases, the field of adult education needs to respond accordingly. The study reported in this paper examined motivations for learning among older adults actively engaged in formal lifelong learning. One hundred eighty-nine members of a Learning in Retirement institute were surveyed using Boshier's Education…

Predictive validity of Education Participation Scale Alternative form was demonstrated by relating interview data and estimates to actual scores. Responses from 845 North American and Asian adults entered into discriminant function equations successfully classified 60 percent by gender, 25 percent by age, and 65 percent by ethnicity. Soundness of…

The methodology employed in fourteen motivational orientation studies is reviewed. All studies used either the Education Participation Scale, the Continuing Learning Orientation Index, or the Reasons for Educational Participation Scale. Issues discussed concern factor scoring, factor analysis, rotation, scaling, reliability, and the extent to…

In Western countries, women and men, young and old, enroll in adult education for different reasons. This is even more the case in China. This study helps Shanghai program planners better appreciate learners by understanding how motivational orientations vary as a function of gender and age. The Chinese version of the Education Participation Scale…

While recent research on why adults participate in continuing education programs does not provide educational planners with any easy prescriptions for programing success, it does suggest some broad directions for more effective program development, particularly in relation to needs assessment, the promotional aspect of marketing, and the design…