“Learning is Like a Preservative”: Lifelong Learning as Leisure

Abstract

Lifelong learning is an activity undertaken throughout one’s life to gain knowledge, skills, and values. Lifelong learning plays a significant role in society as well as in the lives of older adults. This study aimed to explore the concept of lifelong learning as leisure and the lifelong learning experiences of middle-aged and older adults. We recruited 14 lifelong learning students (male: 7, female: 7), whose ages ranged from 50 to 78 years (mean age = 54.9 years). We conducted in-depth interviews and used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to derive five central themes, namely, from leisure to work, challenges of learning, the joy of efforts, interpersonal and intrapersonal benefits, and student identity. The findings demonstrate the value of lifelong learning in later life and the benefits of lifelong learning as leisure.