This paper explores some important aspects of the generation of practical knowledge through later life. It is about the relationship between knowledge generation, agency and capability, developed informally through the life experiences in and through the Company of Others. It emphasises how the everyday processes of socialisation create invaluable…

"Research Messages 2013" provides a summary of the research published in 2015 by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The research published in 2015 covered a wide variety of the themes, reflecting the relevance of the VET sector to the Australian economy and its increasingly important role in the higher…

Background: Considerable attention is currently being directed towards both active ageing and the revising of standards for disability services within Australia and internationally. Yet, to date, no consideration appears to have been given to ways to promote active ageing among older adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Methods:…

The informal learning that older (age 50+) men experience in Australia has been the subject of a suite of recent, intensive, mixed methods research projects in community-based voluntary organizations. The purpose of the research was to examine where men are learning in these contexts beyond work and formal education rather than to assume and…

This paper reports the findings from a study that explored the experiential knowledge of older volunteers who participated in university research projects. Findings suggest that most participants were very positive about their experiences, and they appreciated the opportunity to contribute to research into ageing issues. In terms of areas of…

Purpose: Research concerned with the relationship between volunteer activity and psychological well-being has typically reported higher levels of well-being among older adult volunteers relative to nonvolunteers. However, few studies have examined nonlinear associations between frequency of volunteer activity and well-being. We examined nonlinear…

In the absence of large scale Australian studies of volunteering among older adults, this study compared the relevance of two theoretical approaches--social capital theory and sociostructural resources theory--to predict voluntary activity in relation to a large national database. The paper explores volunteering by older people (aged 55+) in order…

A survey of 157 older adult volunteers suggests that volunteering provides substantial benefits such as maintaining a sense of identity and self-esteem, meeting the need to belong to a group, and affording opportunities to undertake new learning challenges. Volunteer organizations should attempt to meet these needs as a way to retain volunteers.…

Fifteen older women involved as volunteers faced several barriers to participation: pain, disability, family obligations, assumptions about age, transportation, and different patterns and pace of life. Structural changes that would enhance older people's contributions to community life were suggested. (SK)

Universities of the Third Age (U3As) are volunteer-run organizations offering lifelong learning opportunities for older adults. A survey of 84 Australian and 14 New Zealand U3As estimated an annual value of their services of over $4 million and examined organizational and student characteristics, assistance from external organizations, and…

University of the Third Age (U3A) programs in Australia and New Zealand were examined through data collected from 126 U3A groups in Australia and 20 in New Zealand. The 24,870 responses and 2,002 responses obtained in Australia and New Zealand, respectively, represented 76% and 77% of U3A group members in the two countries. Data were collected…

These conference proceedings contain nine theme papers from a conference on the University of the Third Age (U3A); the concept of positive aging; and new directions in political thinking, education, health, and social services. An introduction by the conference coordinator, Geoff Cawthorne, begins the volume. The papers are as follows:…