Age-Friendly University principles

Discussion with older learners

Bibliographic Data

ID21537348
AuthorsEmiko Takagi (0000-0002-5567-4833, San Francisco State University, corresponding author), Madeleine S Marroquin-Serrano (San Francisco State University)
Year2024
Volume50
Issue1
Pages49-61
Publication date2024-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducational Gerontology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0360-1277 • E-ISSN: 1521-0472
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03601277.2023.2217642
OpenAlexW4378378979
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited27

The Age-Friendly University (AFU) principles outline a set of visions that higher education institutions should support to become inclusive to learners of all ages, especially older learners. A growing number of higher education institutions across the globe are currently engaged in various work of AFU development. One of the areas of study in AFUs that needs more research is older adults’ perceptions about how AFUs should be developed. This article shares a study of older adults’ thoughts about the visions reflected in the AFU principles. We conducted interviews with 17 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University in 2020. The thematic analysis of qualitative data was conducted to identify the common perspectives and thoughts study participants shared about AFU principles. The discussions of AFU principles with study participants produced three main themes. The first theme described the diversity of older learners’ needs and interests. The second theme suggested that older adults possess mixed feelings of both excitement and anxiety about intergenerational learning. The third theme posed multifaceted accessibility issues including informational accessibility, program accessibility, and physical accessibility. We argue that these themes suggest that to develop AFUs, higher education institutions must cultivate ways to accommodate diverse older learners, create robust intergenerational programming, and engage in the work necessary to combat ageism on and off campus

Feeling · Higher education · Lifelong learning · Pedagogy · Perception · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Vision · Aging and Gerontology Research · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Technology Use by Older Adults

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