Does age matter? Informal learning practices of younger and older adults
Open accessAbstract
Conventional wisdom in adult education suggests that processes of life cycle change make for differences in the learning experiences of younger and older adults. Popular demographers argue that generational differences exist between those born in distinct historical periods. Outside the realm of higher education, there are relatively few empirical studies of the learning practices of adults of differing ages. In this article, we present the results of qualitative interviews undertaken with 134 readers of self-help books. Half of these readers were thirty years of age or younger. We found modest age differences in learners’ engagement with self-help reading. Relatively older readers were more likely to define explicit learning goals, engage deeply in the learning process, experience linear learning pathways, and express disagreement with authors. We conclude that the modest nature of age differences found supports a maturational or life cycle interpretation rather than a generational interpretation, and that learning processes are more similar than different among people of various ages.
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Fiction reading is a popular form of informal learning across age groups, including older adults.
“Fiction reading is a popular form of informal learning across age groups, including older adults [62], and fction reading within older adult populations has been positively associated with adequate health literacy [64].”
From “A Painless Way to Learn:” Designing an Interactive Storytelling Voice User Interface to Engage Older Adults in Informal Health Information Learning (2023) · cites this paper as [62]
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- Authors
- Vermeylen, L., & McLean, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Calgary (CA)
- ORCID
- McLean, Scott
- Venue
- Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education
- Publisher
- University of Alberta Libraries
- Published
- 2014-02-18
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 19-34
- ISSN
- 0835-4944 (ISSN-L)
- 1925-993X
- OpenAlex
- W1495419819
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 10.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Adult and Continuing Education Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Leadership and Innovation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- age differences, informal learning, self-help books, generational differences, life cycle, adult learning, learning objectives, learning trajectories, older adults, young adults
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