Older Adults Learning Computer Programming: Motivations, Frustrations, and Design Opportunities
Abstract
Computer programming is a highly in-demand skill, but most learn-to-code initiatives and research target some of the youngest members of society: children and college students. We present the first known study of older adults learning computer programming. Using an online survey with 504 respondents aged 60 to 85 who are from 52 different countries, we discovered that older adults were motivated to learn to keep their brains challenged as they aged, to make up for missed opportunities during youth, to connect with younger family members, and to improve job prospects. They reported frustrations including a perceived decline in cognitive abilities, lack of opportunities to interact with tutors and peers, and trouble dealing with constantly-changing software technologies. Based on these findings, we propose a learner-centered design of techniques and tools for motivating older adults to learn programming and discuss broader societal implications of a future where more older adults have access to computer programming -- not merely computer literacy -- as a skill set.
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Learning and memory support are often motivating factors for why older adults engage online.
“Learning and memory support are often motivating factors for why older adults engage online [5,9,33].”
From Studying Exploration & Long-Term Use of Voice Assistants by Older Adults (2023) · cites this paper as [9]
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References 47 · Cited by 85
- Authors
- Guo, P. J.
- Affiliations
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Corresponding author
- Guo, Philip J.
- ORCID
- Guo, Philip J.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Publisher
- ACM
- Published
- 2017-05-02
- Pages
- 7070-7083
- OpenAlex
- W2610908229
- Cited by
- 85
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 7.31
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Teaching and Learning Programming
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- older adults, programming, learning to code, motivation, cognitive decline, learner-centered design, programming education, lifelong learning, generational digital divide, employment prospects, peer interaction, software modification
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