In light of its low fertility rate and long life span, Hong Kong is facing the challenge of a rapidly ageing population. To foster successful ageing, learning throughout life regardless of age is promoted as lifelong learning. A total of 20 older adults who are studying the Diploma in Active Ageing at the School of Professional Education and Executive Development of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University participated in a questionnaire survey while 16 older adult students participated in individual in-depth interviews in the present study. The results show that those who have received both informal and formal learning opportunities experienced positive changes to their physical, psychological and social health. The participants reported that the current lifelong learning policy provides insufficient financial support and insufficient promotion of formal education for older adults. For older adults to pursue further education, there is a need to provide more generous subsidies and relax age eligibility restrictions. To sustain lifelong learning, both informal and formal education for older adults should be promoted equally in order to meet the diverse interests and ability of older learners. Copyright © 2023 SAGE Publications.

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]

This paper reports the results of two semistructured focus group interviews with 17 retirees that explore the issues these retirees perceived as central to their learning in later life (LLL). Focus is especially placed on the factors leading to their learning interests after retirement. A total of six themes (past experience in adulthood and voluntary work, perception of learning, social support, living alone, self-efficacy, and openness) were identified to be related to learning interest in later life. This study has implications for future research and service planning of LLL in the Chinese population.
[Copyright of Educational Gerontology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03601270802349361]

Based on a sociocultural perspective, this study investigated the learning experiences of a selected group of older adults learning computing technologies at a social center in Hong Kong. Data generated from in-depth interviews were used to develop a model of evolving motivation that explains how this group of "anxious novices" had gradually developed into "motivated experts" capable of showcasing their computing achievement to the public. The model highlights the significance of social supports derived from various social contexts in helping older adults make sense of their learning and develop lasting interest in computing technologies.
[Copyright of Educational Gerontology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03601270701763845]