Identifying and prioritizing the components of the learning city with an emphasis on the lifelong learning

Abstract

The learning city has been a new concept aimed at the mobilization of the resources for the learning of all the citizens throughout their lives and in all places to promote the individual and economic development, and the social cohesion. This concept has various dimensions and components, extracted by the researchers and institutions. In this research, the dimensions and indicators of the learning city from the viewpoint of the Canadian Council for Learning, the European Commission and the UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning, with emphasis on the concept of the lifelong learning would be investigated. It was a descriptive-analytic research. The research sample included 20 formal education experts and the University professors at the study area of Qazvin city. The final learning city components in five dimensions, including »the formal education system«, »learning in the communities and families«, »learning at work«, »technology and the learning quality« and »the learning culture« have been extracted and analyzed using AHP analysis method and the priorities have been identified in each dimension. The results showed that the most important dimensions of the learning city are the formal learning and learning in the communities and families. Accordingly, the most important components of the learning city are: »the extension of the formal education«, »the use of the trained educators«, »support for the education of the disadvantaged groups«, »encouraging the continuous learning in the family and society« and »learning through the media and cultures« which can be prioritized according to our country's conditions to achieve the learning city.

Keywords

• the learning city - lifelong learning - ahp method
• learning indicators