The purpose of this study is to examine intergenerational learning behaviour within ten Hong Kong families between Generation X parents and their Generation Y children. It tries to investigate intergenerational knowledge exchange, identify the characteristics of learning behaviour and culture in their 'learning families'.
A narrative inquiry approach is adopted asking participants to recall and tell stories describing their personal intergenerational learning experiences. Results indicate that 80% of the participants thought their family is a 'learning family', and intergenerational family learning is happy experience and can be bi-directional. A positive family learning culture facilitates intergenerational learning especially in the Generation Y -> X direction. Learning methodology differs between the two generations due to societal changes and differences in their upbringing.
A conceptual framework of intergenerational family learning in relation to lifelong learning is developed. The government and public should re-define teaching and learning practise and promote intergenerational learning even in schools.
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Learning plays a key role in ageing societies as it can help to address many of the related challenges and opportunities. Opportunities to learn should be given to senior citizens through appropriate local lifelong learning programmes. There is a need to improve research and development on learning tools and approaches designed to meet the different needs of older people. ICT has an important role to play in developing learning opportunities for older people both as a topic in its own right and as a means of learning in the so called knowledge society. This paper reports on a Hong Kong case survey understanding the role of ICT in lifelong learning for elderly and its impact of learning activity. The survey results suggest numbers of areas should be taken into consideration for older people as both learners and mentors.
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Background: The Education Commission (EC) of Hong Kong, the advisory body set up by the government on the overall development of education in Hong Kong, began developing a policy of education reform in 1998 and published its blueprint in 2000. In 2006, the EC published its fourth official report on the progress of the reform -- Progress Report on the Education Reform (4).
Discussion Focus:The policy document developed in 2000 contains a paragraph that summarises the 14,000 public submissions received by the EC at that time. The EC has adopted this summary as its reform priority. It contains four sociopsychological elements -- joy in learning, effectiveness of communication, creativity, and sense of commitment -- and points out that education for lifelong learning should emphasise more on the inner qualities of a person than personal skills. The policy also recognises for the first time that human knowledge is constructed.
This paper analyses the texts of the 2006 progress report and the 2000 policy document and discovered that the progress reported has essentially neglected the priority stated in the policy.
In parallel with the textual analysis, the paper explores the meanings of the four socio - psychological elements from the perspective of personal inner qualities.
Suggestions: The paper is a reminder that the priority stated in the policy is what the public want and what the EC has promised to act on. It would be undemocratic and negligent for the EC to bypass it quietly. The paper suggests that the deep meanings of the four socio-psychological elements should be explored, to be followed by modification of the strategies of the reform so as to fulfil what the public want. The paper also suggests supplementary empirical studies involving educational professionals to validate the results.
背景：教育統籌委員會（教統會）是政府成立的咨詢團體，以提供教育整體發展的意見。它從1998年開始制訂教育改革的政策，並於2000年公佈了藍圖。2006年，教統會公佈了教育改革進展的第四份正式報告。
討論焦點：2000年的政策文件中有一段，總結了教統會當時從公眾所收到的14,000

In a world with increasing numbers of older adults and a worldwide emphasis placed on lifelong learning, it is crucial to examine and formulate appropriate policy for learning in later life (LLL). Hong Kong has a rapidly aging population, which is projected to double within the next 25 years. However, lifelong learning for the elderly has yet to be fully developed. This article reports the findings of 2 surveys: one on the LLL experience among 190 Chinese elderly in Hong Kong and another on the experiences of 9 center directors in running courses for the elderly. We found that Chinese older persons generally learn for expressive motivation rather than instrumental motivation, although those with higher educational attainment take LLL for both instrumental and expressive motivation. This finding is consistent with those obtained with American populations. Practical courses such as languages and health-related topics were found to be the most popular; and nearly a quarter (27%) of the respondents (in particular those who are well educated) expressed interest in peer teaching. The findings are important to understand LLL in the Chinese population and assist in the formulation of an appropriate LLL policy in Hong Kong. These findings also serve as a comparison for other countries trying to provide continuing education opportunities for its older citizens.
[Copyright of Gerontology & Geriatrics Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J021v26n02_01]