Community-based later life learning in China: From the perspective of empowerment

Abstract

How to improve older adults’ ability of survival, promote their social participation and self-fulfillment, and enhance their quality of life are the challenges of the ageing society. As a contributor to active ageing, later life learning is applied as an effective strategy, and empowerment has been increasingly recognised as important variable in the community-based later life learning. This research outlines two aspects of empowerment through power granting and personal efficacy enhancement and looks at the relationship between the two aspects in selected community learning centres in China. The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding on how empowerment improves older adults’ abilities of life control, change adaption and social participation through institutional, mechanism, environmental, and psychological empowerment, and to identify factors that may contribute to community-based later life learning for guaranteeing the harmonious development among older adults, community and society ultimately.