Engagement of older adults in higher education - International perspectives from New Zealand and Scotland

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Đào

The article examines older adults’ access to and participation in higher education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Scotland. Using a critical educational gerontology lens, it compares two case studies—one theoretical, one empirical—to reveal how political economy shapes engagement. It analyzes patterns of participation and provision while highlighting how social class, gender, and ethnicity intersect with age to produce layered marginalisation. The paper calls for more proactive institutional and governmental policies to improve recruitment, retention, and successful outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Patterns of participation for older adults in education

Education vs learning

Participation decline and exceptions

An alternative framework: A political economy approach within critical educational gerontology

Engagement of older adults in higher education: International perspectives from New Zealand and Scotland brian findsen, university of waikato Abstract This article explores the issue of older adults’ access to and participation in higher education in two countries, Aotearoa New Zealand and Scotland. It discusses older adults’ engagement with regard to patterns of participation and provision, using a critical educational gerontology approach. The two case studies, one in more theoretical terms, the other empirically-based, illustrate the complexities surrounding older people’s engagement through the lens of a political economy. The paper argues for more proactive policies at both institutional and governmental levels to improve recruitment, retention and successful outcomes for older adults. Introduction Given the rapidly changing demographics in many countries towards increasingly ageing populations, for the ﬁrst time in history large numbers of older adults in industrialised countries can reasonably expect to achieve a longer fulﬁlling life. Brought about by a myriad offactors – reduced fertility rates; better health schemes; more advanced technology – older people have better prospects of engaging in active learning in the third age, one arguably characterised by increased autonomy and leisure (Laslett, 1989) . Equally, growing numbers of older people will experience severe poverty and deprivation as gaps between rich and poor increase under neo-liberal regimes (Estes, Biggs & Phillipson, 2003) . In this paper the primary focus is placed on how older adults engage with higher education in two countries: New Zealand where I have spent the majority of my life; and Scotland, where I was formerly employed as an adult educator in an ancient university setting. It needs to be acknowledged that the majority of learning undertaken by older adults – here arbitrarily deﬁned as 55 years or older – is carried out in non-formal and informal environments (Jarvis, 1985; Findsen, 2006) . The virtual exclusion of older adults from higher education is a predominant international pattern (Glendenning, 2000) . Here it is explained through a political economy approach where issues of social class, gender, and ethnicity intersect with age, producing multiple layers of marginalisation (Estes, 1991; Phillipson, 1998) . Two case studies have been chosen to illustrate this marginalisation: ﬁrst, older adults’ access to Higher Education (HE) in Aotearoa New Zealand; second, a research project carried out for the West of Scotland Wider Access Forum examining the levels of engagement of older people with Further Education (FE) and HE in Greater Glasgow. Patterns of participation for older adults in education It is important to distinguish between patterns of participation in ‘education’(i.e. organised learning, often by a provider) and ‘learning’ (entailing a broader range of activities, sometimes self-initiated). Within formal learning, older adults’ involvement in mainstream adult education has not been commensurate with their percentage of the population (Carlton & Soulsby, 1999). Reports from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) in the UK (see Learning to grow older and bolder, 1999; Older people learning: Myths and realities, 2004; Demography and older learners, 2005; What older people learn, 2008) continually demonstrate that the extent of older adult education has plateaued, if not decreased, at least in that region. The overall picture appears tobe one of neglect, as identiﬁed by McGivney (2006) . An interesting exception in the British scene has been participation in the Open University (OU) where older adults constitute a signiﬁcant majority of all older higher education students (McGivney, 2006) . This suggests the mode of distance learning, including time convenience to participants, to be a signiﬁcant factor in participation; recent popularity of SeniorNet provides additional evidence to support t

FAQs

What issue does the article focus on regarding older adults and higher education?

It focuses on older adults’ access to and participation in higher education, comparing patterns in New Zealand and Scotland.

How does the article explain older adults’ engagement using a theoretical approach?

It uses a critical educational gerontology approach grounded in political economy to examine complexities and marginalisation.

What factors does the paper identify as barriers to older adults’ participation?

It highlights situational, institutional, informational, and psychosocial barriers, noting psychosocial barriers as most persistent and that major hurdles can be internal.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Đào