Understanding research issues for a changing social environment of the 21st Century
The growing number of cashed-up, healthy, vocal, long living and demanding baby boomers joining the ranks of retirees is changing the social dynamics of the senior community in Australia. Increasingly, the large number of relatively well-educated retirees will seek and demand educational opportunities that are sophisticated and beyond the limited realm of passive time-fillers.
What is the current perception in educational circles about the educational needs and desires of those born in the post WWII era of 1950s and beyond and aiming retirement in the next decade or so? Are current educational demands being met and, if so, to what extent? Why will gaining a better understanding of their educational needs and wants be important to the discourse on ageing in our society?
Dr James Cook, Lecturer in Asian Studies and Japanese Language, ACU Nationals McAuley at Banyo Campus (Brisbane), examines some research issues relevant to retiree educational needs through a case study of retirement village residents. The discussion includes keys areas such as current government interest in the field, notable features of these social demographic developing trends in mature adult education, and understanding the social benefits of well-designed educational experiences of people in their 70s and 80s.
Click here to read the complete article http://www.socialchange.qut.edu.au/conference/docs/Conf%20Papers%202004/cook_james.pdf
