This article discusses the introduction of age management practices within organizations and the possible resistance to their implementation, linked to the persistence of stereotypes and barriers associated with employee age and the presence of hostile organizational cultures. The article proposes to adopt an action research approach to facilitate the implementation of these practices, presenting for this purpose an action research model, the Quality of Ageing at Work, tested in 31 organizations in Italy and Spain. In light of a review of the literature on age management and action research, it describes the methodology of the Quality of Ageing at Work model and discusses it through the presentation of an organizational case. The Quality of Ageing at Work model consists of alternate phases of action and reflection through which researchers, in constant dialogue with field actors (in this case, managers, work councils, and workers), analyze organizational needs, by applying qualitative and quantitative tools, discuss them, and propose solutions. The main result of the intervention can be considered the increased awareness and autonomy of the organization in implementing an age management plan. This result confirms the effectiveness of interventions built on the dialogical and iterative principles of action research, generating, in a democratic way, new awareness and knowledge and producing organizational change.

Given the double risk of exclusion caused for women with a low educational level, adult education can be a fundamental element that allows them to actively participate in their social, political, and cultural environments. Moreover, because educational level has been reported by the scientific literature to be a factor that directly favors personal benefits, such as having better health or greater employability, adult education may be an opportunity to obtain the aforementioned benefits for women with a low educational level. In this study, using the data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies survey, a model was developed to perform a structural equation analysis on a sample of 5,838 European women with an educational level of ISCED 0-2 and to investigate the benefits of participating in nonformal education activities. The results show that this participation provides these women with greater social and political confidence, more intense cultural participation and even better health and employability.

Education is the main vehicle for empowering adults (Freire, 2003), and can contribute to community wellbeing (Merriam & Kee, 2014). However, regarding Mature Adults (MAs) (over 45 years old), age has been identified in various studies as a significant barrier to accessing educational activities. This paper focuses on MAs' motivations to learn through an exploratory survey undertaken in six European countries. A K-Means cluster analysis based on 16 variables has been run on n=846 valid cases. Four clusters describing distinctive behaviors and attitudes of MAs towards learning activities were identified. The study confirms that MAs' motivations to learn are very diverse, overcoming some of the so-called myths of global aging like the MAs' homogeneity or their motivation to learn declining. Furthermore, analyzing the main motivations of MA learners can be useful for adapting education to cater to their specific needs, boosting a more inclusive education, and promoting MAs' empowerment.

The complexity underlying motivations and obstacles encountered by Mature Adults (MA; people over 45 years old) in their participation in educational activities, requires a thorough analysis to determine which factors are most salient for this social group. Under the project funded by the European Commission "IMAL: Innovations in Mature Adult Learning", a study through a questionnaire (n = 1.066) was conducted. From that sample, data for two of the participating countries, Spain (ns= 106) and Italy (ni= 460), have been drawn. The aim of the paper is to make an exploratory analysis of both samples in order to determine the most important motivational factors for MA in their educational participation, through descriptive and bivariate analysis (independent sample test), and to test how the sociodemographic variables influence these factors by an analysis through logistic regression. The results show great similarities between both samples. Lower levels of education and not being in working condition were found as risk factors for not undertaking learning activities. In both samples, the weight of “internal” motivations is very relevant. This evidence leads to interpret MA learning as a process addressed towards personal enrichment, thus claiming for a more holistic and learner centered vision in adult education.

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Participación de los adultos maduros en actividades educativas en España: obstáculos y factores motivacionalescientífica internacional al respecto, además de estadísticas oficiales de participación de este colectivo en la educación en el entorno español, y se ha realizado un estudio exploratorio a través de un cuestionario (n=106) para caracterizar a la muestra y determinar los factores más relevantes para su inclusión educativa. Los resultados demuestran que el número de adultos maduros que participan en actividades educativas se ha visto reducido en fechas recientes en nuestro país, identificándose la edad como factor determinante para comprender dichos obstáculos y motivaciones tanto internos como externos.Palabras claves: adultos maduros, aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida, educación, motivación. Participation of mature adults in educational activities in Spain: obstacles and motivational factorsAbstract: The main goal of this study is to analyse the participation of mature adults (people over 45 years of age) in education in Spain, paying particular attention to the motivation factors leading to their involvement in such activities. To this end, we have collated the main theories of the international scientific community in this regard, along with the official statistics concerning this group of people's involvement in education within Spain, and have conducted an exploratory study using a questionnaire (n=106) designed to characterise the sample and determine the most relevant factors for their inclusion in educational activities. The results show that the number of mature adults that participate in educational activities has dropped in recent years in our country, with age being identified as the determining factor for understanding such obstacles and motivations, albeit of an internal or external nature.

El progresivo envejecimiento de la fuerza del trabajo y el retraso en la edad de jubilación claman por acciones en favor de entornos laborales saludables e inclusivos que tengan en cuenta las características de los trabajadores de mayor edad. La calidad del envejecimiento en el lugar de trabajo ha sido analizada a nivel europeo mediante un instrumento novedoso, el Quality of Ageing at Work questionnaire (QAW-q). Esta herramienta, basándose en elementos clave del concepto de Work Ability, amplía su perspectiva introduciendo factores relacionados con las dimensiones intraorganizacionales e incluye la ponderación de la influencia de la edad sobre las percepciones individuales de la calidad del entorno de trabajo. En el artículo se presenta este instrumento como herramienta de evaluación de dicha calidad del envejecimiento en el empleo para evidenciar los elementos de mejora y lograr una gestión eficiente del envejecimiento de la fuerza del trabajo.