Growth Through Education: The Narratives of Older Adults

Abstract

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.

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

“…However, since these two general motives repeatedly appear in studies into the motives why older adults participate in education activities, they deserve much closer scrutiny to establish what they signify. 'Socialising' was defined by some participants as the basis for expanding the mind and engaging in self-fulfilment (Bjursell, 2019b). For example, interaction with others can be a prerequisite to engaging in dialogue on a topic or about existential questions in life.…”

“…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). However, the specific narratives that are discussed in the present paper have not been presented before.…”

“…Their participation also offers them a social context; and, for some, this dimension is as equally important as the subject content which they endeavour to study. A description of the meaning of 'bildung' and 'social fellowship' has been presented in previous papers (Bjursell, 2019a(Bjursell, , 2019b. One Senior University participant reported that 'the reason to continue with learning for the elderly is to maintain and develop one's knowledge and to be a part of society, and it is social and promotes good health and it gives one a more meaningful life' (SU2018: f18).…”

Cognitive and social well-being in older adulthood: The CoSoWELL corpus of written life stories

“…The focus of this paper is on introducing the design and data of the CoSoWELL corpus, the pipeline used for the quantitative analysis of stories, and the validity of this resource for the multi-faceted time-locked study of the psychological outcomes of the pandemic in older adulthood. We also highlight the expected utility of the CoSoWELL corpus for memory-related studies relying on narrative language use (e.g., Conway, 2005;Fivush, 2011) as well the field of narrative gerontology (Bjursell, 2019;Randall, Kenyon, & Gary, 2004).…”

Narrative in Older People Care—Concepts and Issues in Patients with Dementia

“…Incorporating the narrative into daily medical care is about enabling older people to tell their own story, recognizing its uniqueness and showing a sincere interest in the story. It should be emphasised that the narrative concerns both past and current events that may be related to the patient-health care worker interaction [7][8][9][10]. The narrative is an essential tool that serves to integrate the different points of view of those involved in the therapeutic process, and its utmost priority is to develop a personalised treatment and care plan.…”