Education level explains participation in work and education later in life

Bjursell, Cecilia; Nystedt, Paul; Björklund, Anita; Sternäng, Ola

doi:10.1080/03601277.2017.1357397

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Indirectly, an individual's social network can be understood as representing social class, and statements about enrolling at Senior University because of family, friends, or former work-colleagues can be an indication that social class is a relevant factor to understand who enrols in education activities and why they do so. Previous studies have shown that a person's level of educational attainment can explain that person's participation in education later in life; the higher the level, the more probable it is that an individual will continue in education activities (Bjursell, et al, 2017). This discussion suggests that what, on the surface, may appear to be the result of an individual's motivation and choice may well be explained by social and contextual factors instead.…”

Section: Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivationmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…With respect to gender, many people hold the notion that it is mainly older women who participate in education. However, one study of participation in education later in life shows that gender cannot necessarily be used to predict participation (Bjursell et al, 2017). The only factor relevant to predicting participation in education, according to the latter study, consisted of the individual's previous level of educational attainment: the higher the level of educational attainment achieved earlier in life, the more probable it was that the individual would take part in educational activities later in life.…”

Section: Participation In Education Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The results from the survey were presented in a Swedish report (Bjursell et al, 2014). The survey data was also analysed and presented in a separate article (Bjursell et al, 2017). The second set of empirical data, a collection of personal narratives, has been introduced in a book chapter (Bjursell, 2019a) and a separate article (Bjursell, 2019b).…”

Section: Empirical Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inclusion in education later in life: Why older adults engage in education activities

Bjursell

2019

RELA

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The connection between education and wellbeing is presented as a general argument for the participation of older adults in education, but is this reason why older adults themselves choose to engage in education activities? This paper combines the results from two previous empirical studies and addresses how older adults account for their participation in education activities. The first empirical data set comprises a survey completed by 232 Swedish pensioners. The second empirical data set comprises stories by 53 Swedish pensioners about their participation at Senior University. The same dominant arguments for their participation in education emerged in both studies; namely (i) staying active and (ii) socialising. However, this observation can be understood in terms of motives and benefits, something which indicates a possible fusion of extrinsic-and intrinsic motivation. A closer reading of the narratives reveals that many participants enrolled in Senior University because other family members, friends, and former work-colleagues had enrolled. This suggests that what on the surface may appear as an individual's choice could, in fact, be explained by social factors.

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Section: Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Participation In Education Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Empirical Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inclusion in education later in life: Why older adults engage in education activities

Bjursell

2019

RELA

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“…For example, Golding's (2015) research on the Men's Shed movement includes learning among older, poorly-educated men. Other studies have taken particular note of socio-demographic differences; including gender, age, and educational level (see Bjursell et al, 2017). The current paper does, however, address a somewhat privileged group; namely, older adults who are active and are able to retire comfortably.…”

Section: Studying Learning That Takes Place Later In Lifementioning

confidence: 90%

Growth Through Education: The Narratives of Older Adults

Bjursell

2019

Front. Sociol.

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The focus of Narrative Gerontology is placed on stories about the aging process. In the present paper, the learning of older adults in a Senior University context is captured by means of stories written by the participants themselves. The examination of older adults' stories, as they look back on life or any narrative that connected to a specific area of life, can contribute to our understanding of growth later in life. The aim of the study is to examine how growth manifests itself later in life. Participants at Senior University were asked to share their experiences of education later in life. Participation was voluntary and the identity of each participant was kept anonymous for the purpose of the research project. Fifty-three stories written by Senior University participants ( n = 38 women and 15 men) were analyzed according to: (i) an inductive analysis of the stories that resulted in a description of the main topics addressed in the stories, and (ii) a deductive analysis that invoked a theoretical framework concerning the existential aspects of older adults' learning, including “corporeality,” “relationality,” “spatiality,” “temporality,” and “materiality.” The two analyses were compared, and it was noted that “relationality” and “spatiality” corresponded to the educational experiences in the stories. “Relationality” was observed to be concerned with the social dimensions of life; but in the context of Senior University, “relationality” was strongly intertwined with the learning process. “Spatiality” addressed how older adults relate to physical- and mental space. Participation at Senior University entailed an expansion of both physical- and mental space for the participants. A number of tensions were identified in the stories. One the one hand, the stories can be interpreted as illustrations of moving forward and embracing continued growth and development. On the other hand, the stories can be interpreted as illustrations of resistance toward aging and decline. Since life is complex and contradictory, multiple, and even contradictory plots, co-exist in life stories.

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“…As a result, women also get lower retirement pensions (Björklund, Brushammar, Bjursell, Nystedt, & Nilsson, 2018). Moreover, prolonged employment after retirement age is not self-evident for every employee who wants or needs to, since this possibility is most often reserved for the highly educated (Bjursell, Nystedt, Björklund, & Sternäng, 2017), i.e. SDG 10.…”

Section: Sustainability In Research the Last Five Yearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making sustainability in occupational therapy visible by relating to the Agenda 2030 goals – A case description of a Swedish university

Wagman

Johansson

Jansson

et al. 2020

World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin

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Occupational therapy has a lot to contribute to sustainable development considering the discipline's occupational focus and knowledge. This has been recognised by researchers and professional associations, but there is still a scarcity of research explicitly mentioning sustainability. Relevant contributions may be identified by relating education and research to the Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals. The aim of this article was to describe explicit and implicit inclusion of sustainable development and Agenda 2030 goals in occupational therapy education and research at one Swedish university. Current course syllabi and study guides, as well as research over the past five-year period, were examined and related to sustainability. The results showed that although only a few courses and articles were explicitly related to sustainable development, more course and research content became relevant when this content was compared with the sustainable development goals. It can be concluded that sustainability was more extensively addressed than first visible, but further studies including more universities are warranted.

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Education level explains participation in work and education later in life

Cited by 19 publications

References 40 publications

Inclusion in education later in life: Why older adults engage in education activities

Inclusion in education later in life: Why older adults engage in education activities

Growth Through Education: The Narratives of Older Adults

Making sustainability in occupational therapy visible by relating to the Agenda 2030 goals – A case description of a Swedish university

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