The purpose of this descriptive case study is to promote understanding of the University of the Third Age (U3A) as an approach to facilitating lifelong learning opportunities for and with older adults. This case study is specific to the development of a University of the Third Age in Calgary (U3A Calgary). The benefits of lifelong learning for…

This article studies the conceptions of the interior of the Earth held by Portuguese elementary school children and senior citizens. Several studies were conducted regarding conceptions related to Earth sciences, such as rocks, minerals, earthquakes geological time, and Earth structure. Most of these studies involved students enrolled in…

The world population has changed spectacularly in the last decades. The growth in life expectancy is forcing a restructure in our policies and, obviously, education. For 2050, there will be 2.000 sixty plus year olds. That is more than 20% of the world population. Besides, discrimination for ageing and, sometimes, abandonment and abuse of elderly…

Participation in adult education and training (AET) programs is increasingly important for people of all ages and is necessary to remain competitive in a world experiencing rapid technological advances. Lifelong learning activities are especially important for middle-aged and older adults who intend to work at older ages to ensure they have the…

The article is aimed at the assessment of the educational needs of the active older adults, studying their motives to learn English. The hypothesis of the research is that effective formation of the intercultural communicative competence in active older adults is carried out on the basis of the specially developed educational programme…

This article introduces Taiwan's innovative lifelong learning programs for middle-aged and older adults, and discusses their social influence. The innovative active aging learning programs launched in 2008. The purpose of implementing active aging learning is to work at the grassroots level with the hope of providing increasingly comprehensive and…

We explored the role of self-efficacy in participatory music-making, and whether a single such music-making activity could make non-musician adults more open to seeing themselves as musical. Past research has suggested that even recipients of multiple years of school music education do not consider "being musical" as a part of their…

As the population ages, colleges and universities have opportunities to promote intergenerational learning by inviting lifelong learners to engage with students in the classroom. This article outlines an initiative to enroll older adults as auditors and to describe their experiences. Thirty of 40 older adult auditors completed a hard-copy survey…

Little research is available concerning the use of technology to connect non-mobile senior adults with museums. This paper explores the viability of Interactive Virtual Learning (IVL) programs to gauge the interests, preferences, and needs of the older adults. The authors drew from personal experiences presenting such programs to seniors and held…

This paper focuses on the power dimension of social practices. The study sought to understand the literacy-related practices of a retired woman without a high-school diploma in everyday life and community activities. It drew on social practice theories, the New Literacy Studies, and transformative learning. The ethnographic approach chosen to…

The context in which the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) works has changed dramatically since their last Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) in 2014 (see ED619370). New challenges have emerged while old ones have become more acute. These changes have not diminished the need for lifelong learning; just the opposite. There is a need to widen…

Although predictors of academic success have been identified in young adults, such predictors are unlikely to translate directly to an older student population, where such information is scarce. The current study aimed to examine cognitive, psychosocial, lifetime, and genetic predictors of university-level academic performance in older adults…

For several decades, lifelong learning has been discussed both in terms of its ability to provide both individual and national economic benefits. However, while the importance of lifelong learning, particularly in lieu of occupational changes, has been emphasized, the creation or adaptation of funding methods for lifelong learning specifically in…

For several decades, lifelong learning has been discussed both in terms of its ability to provide both individual and national economic benefits. However, while the importance of lifelong learning, particularly in lieu of occupational changes, has been emphasized, the creation or adaptation of funding methods for lifelong learning specifically in…

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…