Older adults’ and young educators’ experiences and perceptions of Intergenerational Learning (IGL) in non-formal education: A case study from the Adult Education Centres in Cyprus

Abstract

The paper explores the experiences and perceptions of older adults and their young educators regarding Intergenerational Learning (IGL) in the course of a non-formal adult education programme in Cyprus. It aims to identify the forms that IGL takes in the programme as well as any possible components of the programme that foster IGL. The research was located in the Adult Education Centres (AECs), a non-formal adult education programme, offered in the Republic of Cyprus. It is based on a qualitative research design and adopts a bottom-up approach, as it gives voice to older adults and their educators and makes meaning out of their IGL experiences. The results of the study present the different forms that IGL take in the programme under three different axes: the cognitive, the social and the psychological. They view IGL as a multilevel mutual beneficial form of learning for both the older adults and their younger educators. They also highlight the necessity of a learner-centered and cooperative learning approach for fostering IGL.

Keywords

• intergenerational learning
• non-formal education
• older adults
• younger educators
• adult education centres