Developing competencies to cope with transitions in later life. Particularities of learning offers for older adults

Authors

  • Dominique Kern Université de Haute Alsace, Mulhouse
  • Bernhard Schmidt-Hertha Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1970-2221/15779

Keywords:

transition, later life, competences, skills, learning

Abstract

Beyond the transition to retirement, research rarely focuses on transitions in later life. This may be due to the absence of appropriate theoretical models. In order to remedy this, the article contains a theory-based reflection with the aim to work out aspects of educational offers for older people. It links the knowledge about ‘transitions in later life’, ‘skills and competencies’ to concepts of learning in later life. The systematic approach is based on a detailed review of the state of the art of the different concepts in the field of educational science and related academic disciplines. The analysis identifies the crucial aspects of different learning situations which help develop relevant competencies and skills useful for coping with transitions. Based on these reflections we derive some relevant features for programs to help develop older adults’ abilities to cope with transitions.

References

Achenbaum, A. (1995). Images of old age in America, 1790 – 1970. A vision and a re-vision. In M. Featherstone & A. Wernick (eds.), Images of Aging. Cultural Representations of Later Life (pp. 19-28). Routledge.

Adis, S., Reinhart, J., & Stengel, M. (1996). Der Berufsaustritt. Erhofft. Befürchtet. Folgenlos. Eine Untersuchung aus sozioökonomischer Sicht. Rainer Hampp.

Aldwin, C.M., Sutton, K.J. and Lachman, M. (1996), The development of coping resources in adulthood. Journal of Personality, 64, 837-871. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00946.x

Baltes, P.B. & Baltes, M.M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of selective optimization with compensation. In P.B. Baltes & M.M. Baltes (eds.), Successful aging: perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1–34). Cambridge University Press.

Benasso, S., Castellani, S., Cossetta, A., Dittrich, C., & Walther, A. (2019). Transmission belts: On how young adults in Germany and Italy make meaning of mobility in transitions to work and adulthood. Social Work & Society 17(2). URL: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:464-sws-1913.

Bennett, K. M., Morselli, D., Spahni, S., & Perrig-Chiello, P. (2019). Trajectories of resilience among widows: A latent transition model. Aging & Mental Health 24(12), 2014-2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2019.1647129

Bernardi, L., Huinink, J., and Settersten, R. A. (2020). The life course cube, reconsidered. Advances in Life Course Research, p. 100357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2020.100357

Billett, S. (2011). Learning in the circumstances of work : The didactics of practice. Education et Didactique, 5(2), 125‑146. https://doi.org/10.4000/educationdidactique.1251

Bjursell, C. (2019). Inclusion in education later in life: Why older adults engage in education activities. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 10 (3), 215-230. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.rela20192

Bloemen, H., Hochguertel, S., & Zweerink, J. (2016). Gradual retirement in the Netherlands. Research On Aging, 38(2), 202-233. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0164027515585358

Bolger, N. & Zuckerman, A. (1995). A framework for studying personality in the stress process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 890–902. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.890

Bollnow, O. F. (1962). Das hohe Alter. Neue Sammlung Göttinger Zeitschrift für Erziehung und Gesellschaft, 2, 385‑396. http://www.otto-friedrich-bollnow.de/getmedia.php/_media/ofbg/201504/527v0-orig.pdf (Accessed 11 September 2023)

Bonnet, M. (2001). Les personnes âgées dans la société. Conseil Économique et Social. Retrieved from: https://www.vie-publique.fr/rapport/28091-personnes-agees-dans-la-societe (Accessed 14 September 2023)

Bookwala, J., Marshall, K. I., & Manning, S. W. (2014). Who needs a friend? Marital status transitions and physical health outcomes in later life. Health Psychology, 33(6), 505–515. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000049

Bouchard Ryan, E., Jin, Y.-S., & Anas, A. P. (2009): Cross-cultural beliefs about memory and aging for self and others: South Korea and Canada. Aging and Human Development 68 (3), 185-194. htpps://doi.org/10.2190/AG.68.3.a

Boudjemadi, V., Swiatkowski, W., & Posner, A. B. (2015). Une approche explicative de l’âgisme : La théorie de la gestion de la terreur. Dans M. Lagacé (Éd.), Représentations et discours sur le vieillissement : La face cachée de l’âgisme? (pp. 21‑50). Presses de l’Université Laval.

Boulton-Lewis, G. M. (2010). Education and learning for the elderly : Why, how, what. Educational Gerontology, 36(3), 213‑228. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601270903182877

Boulton-Lewis, G. M., Pike, L., Tam, M., & Buys, L. (2017). Ageing, loss, and learning: Hong Kong and Australian seniors. Educational Gerontology, 43(2), 89-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2016.1262144

Bredt, S. (2008). Between labour market and retirement pension — flexible transition as a new paradigm for ageing societies?. International Social Security Review, 61(4), 95-112. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/j.1468-246X.2008.00325.x

Brown, S. L., Bulanda, J. R., & Lee, G. R. (2012). Transitions into and out of cohabitation in later life. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(4), 774–793. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.00994.x

Butler, R. N. (1969). Age-Ism : Another form of bigotry. The Gerontologist, 9(1), 243‑246. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/9.4_Part_1.243

Bye, D., & Pushkar, D. (2009). How need for cognition and perceived control are differentially linked to emotional outcomes in the transition to retirement. Motivation and Emotion, 33, 320-332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-009-9135-3

Carré, P. (1981). Gérontagogie ou éducation permanente intégrale ? Retraite et Formation III. Education Permanente, 61, 109 122.

Carré, P. (2005). L’Apprenance. Dunod.

Chen, L.-K., & Wang, S. T. (2016). Senior’s demographic correlates for motivations to enroll indegree-conferring programs in universities. Educational Gerontology, 6(42), 431‑442. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2016.1139968

Chen, M.-H., Su, T.-P., Li, C.-T., Chang, W.-H., Chen, T.-J., & Bai, Y.-M. (2013). Symptomatic menopausal transition increases the risk of new-onset depressive disorder in later life: A nationwide prospective cohort study in Taiwan. PLoS ONE, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059899

Comenius, J. A. (1632). La grande didactique (1992, introduction de Bernard Jolibert éd.). Traduction par M.-F. Bosquet-Frigout, D. Saget, & B. Jolibert. Klincksieck.

Communautés européennes, Direction générale Éducation et culture. (2007). Compétences clés pour l’éducation et la formation tout au long de la vie. [Brochure d’information annexe de la recommandation du 18 décembre 2006]. Luxembourg: Communautés européenne, Direction générale Éducation et culture.

De Gracio Blanco, M., Olmo, J. G., Arbonès, M. M. & Bosch, P. M. (2004). Analysis of self-concept in older adults in different contexts. validation of the subjective aging perception scale (SAPS). European Journal of Psychological Assessment 20/4, 262-274. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.262

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of goal pursuits : Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227‑268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education. Kappa Delta Pi.

Donahue, W. (1951). Experiments in the Education of Older Adults. Adult Education, 2, 49‑59. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171365100200202

Duay, D. L., & Bryan, V. C. (2008). Learning in later life : What seniors want in a learning experience. Educational Gerontology, 34(12), 1070‑1086. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601270802290177

Duberley, J., Carmichael, F., & Szmigin, I. (2014). Exploring women's retirement: Continuity, context and career Transition. Gender, Work & Organization, 21(1), 71-90. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.1201

Ducki, A. (2017). „Nervöse Systeme“ – Leben in Zeiten der Krise: Ein Überblick. Editorial. In: B. Badura, A. Ducki, H. Schröder, J. Klose, & M. Meyer (eds.), Fehlzeiten-Report 2017. Krise und Gesundheit. Ursachen, Prävention, Bewältigung (pp. 1–8). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54632-1_1

Durat, L., & Kern, D. (2019). Accompagner la réflexivité sur l’expérience : Une médiation cognitive et socio-affective vers l’apprentissage. Activités, 16(1), 1‑26. https://doi.org/10.4000/activites.4027

Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100, 363-406. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363

Erikson, E. H. (1959). Identity and the Life Cycle. International Universities Press.

Erikson E. H . (1982). The life cycle completed. W.W. Norton & Company.

Erikson, E. H., Erikson, J. M., & Kivnick, H. Q. (1986). Vital involvement in old age. Norton & Company.

Evans, K., & Heinz, W. (1994). Becoming adults in England and Germany. Anglo-German Foundation.

Fabbre, V. D. (2015). Gender transitions in later life: A queer perspective on successful aging. The Gerontologist, 55(1), 144–153. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu079

Fenouillet, F. (2016). Les théories de la motivation (2e éd.). Dunod.

Filliettaz, L., & Billet, S. (2015). Chapter 1 An Introduction to Francophone Perspectives of Learning Through Work. Dans L. Filliettaz & S. Billet (Éds), Francophone perspectives of learning through work (pp. 1‑16). Springer.

Fillipp, S.–H., & Ferring, D. (2002). Die Transformation des Selbst in der Auseinandersetzung mit kritischen Lebensereignissen. In G. Jüttemann, & H. Thomae (eds.), Persönlichkeit und Entwicklung (pp. 191-228). Weinheim: Beltz.

Findsen, B. & Formosa, M. (2011). Lifelong learning in later life. Sense.

Fivush, R., Habermas, T., Waters, T. E. A., & Zaman, W. (2011). The making of autobiographical memory: Intersections of culture, narratives and identity. International Journal of Psychology 46 (5), 321-345. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2011.596541

Friebe, J. & Schmidt-Hertha, B. (2013). Activities and Barriers to Education for Elderly People. Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies, 64(1), 10-27.

Grangé, J., Peyron, I., Legrain, S., Sarfati, A., & Gagnayre, R. (2011). Évaluation des facteurs influençant la prise médicamenteuse chez le sujet âgé selon les médecins et les infirmiers de services hospitaliers de gériatrie. Étude préalable avant la mise en place d’un programme d’éducation thérapeutique. Education Thérapeutique du Patient, 3(1), 57‑68. https://doi.org/dx.doi.org/10.1051/tpe/2011108

Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (1986). The causes and consequences of a need for self-esteem: A terror management theory. In R. F. Baumeister (Éd.), Public self and private self. Springer.

Greve, W., & Staudinger, U. M. (2006). Resilience in later adulthood and old age: Resources and potentials for successful aging. In D. Cicchetti & A. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental Psychopathology (2nd ed., pp. 796-840). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Hallqvist, A. (2014). Biographical learning: two decades of research and discussion. Educational Review, 66(4), 497-513. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.816265

Hardy, M., Oprescu, F., Millear, P. & Summers, M. (2019). Baby boomers’ development of resources and strategies to engage as later life university students. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 38(5), 503-514. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2019.1634156

Herbers, D. J., Mulder C. H., & Mòdenes, J. A. (2014). Moving out of home ownership in later life: The influence of the family and housing careers. Housing Studies, 29(7), 910-936. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2014.923090

Heslon, C. (2020). Contribution à une psychologie des âges de la vie adulte—Tome I [Mémoire HdR]. CNAM.

Houde, R. (1999). Les temps de la vie—Le développement psychosocial de l’adulte (3e éd.). Gaëtan Morin.

Jarvis, P. (1990). Experience, learning and ageing. Dans F. Glendenning & K. Percy (Éds), Ageing, education, and society : Readings in educational gerontology (pp. 114‑122). Association for Educational Gerontology.

Jüchtern, J. C. (2000). Berufsleben und Anpassung an die nachberufliche Phase. In P. Martin, K. U. Ettrich, U. Lehr, D. Roether, M. Martin, & A. Fischer-Cyrulies (Eds.), Aspekte der Entwicklung im mittleren und höheren Lebensalter. Ergebnisse der Interdisziplinären Längsschnittstudie des Erwachsenenalters (ILSE) (pp. 169-184). Springer.

Kemp, C. L. (2008). Negotiating transitions in later life: Married couples in assisted living. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 27(3), 231–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/073346480731165

Kern, D. (2016a). La recherche sur la formation et l’éducation des adultes dans la deuxième moitié de la vie. Harmattan.

Kern, D. (2016b). France. In B. Findsen, & M. Formosa (eds.), International perspectives on older adult education. Research, Policies and Practice (pp.121-132). Springer.

Kern, D. (2018a). Theoretische Modelle für die Bildung älterer Erwachsener: eine kritische Analyse aus erziehungswissenschaftlicher Perspektive. In R. Schramek, C. Kricheldorff, B. Schmidt-Hertha, & J. Steinfort-Diedenhofen (Éd.), Alter(n), Lernen, Bildung - ein Handbuch (p. 13‑29). Stuttgart, Deutschland: Kohlhammer.

Kern, D. (2018b). L’apprentissage au féminin dans la deuxième moitié de la vie. Dans F. Toudoire-Saurlapierre, A. Ballotti, & I. Kuramayeva (Éds), Apprentiessages au féminin (pp. 331 351). Les Éditions et presses universitaires de Reims.

Kern, D. (2021). La formation des adultes dans la deuxième moitié de la vie—Vers l’aboutissement de la transformation épistémologique de la formation des adultes ? TransFormations-Recherches en éducation et formation des adultes, 22(1), 75‑86.

Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions (fourth edition 2012). University of Chicago Press.

Kumari, S. & Sharma, A. (2018). Spirituality: a tool for learning, change and adaptation of elderly in changing Indian family. International Journal of Learning and Change (IJLC) 10 (1), 33-53. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJLC.2018.089539

Lalive d’Epinay, C., & Guilley, E. (2004). Les dernières années de longues vies—L’incapacité lourde constitue-t-elle aujourd’hui la dernière étape de la vie? Gérontologie et société, 110(3), 121‑129. https://doi.org/10.3917/gs.110.0121

Lapina A. (2018). Facilitating coping through reflective learning in adult education: A review of the reciprocal relationship between coping and learning. Adult Learning 29 (4), 131-140. https://doi.org/10.1177/10451595187761

Lee, C. D., & Bakk, L. (2001). Later-life transitions into widowhood. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 35(3), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1300/J083v35n03_05

Lövdén, M., Bergman, L., Adolfsson, R., Lindenberger, U., & Nilsson, L.-G. (2005). Studying individual aging in an interindividual context: Typical paths of age-related, dementia-related, and mortality-related cognitive development in old age. Psychology and Aging, 20(2), 303–316. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.20.2.303

Mälkki, K. (2012). Rethinking disorienting dilemmas within real-life crises: The role of reflection in negotiating emotionally chaotic experiences. Adult Education Quarterly, 62(3), 207–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171361140204

McWhinney, W., & Markos, L. (2003). Transformative education: Across the threshold. Journal of Transformative Education, 1, 16-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/154134460325

Mehraeen, S. (2020). Les ‘croyances épistémologiques’ et les conceptions d’ « être en bonne santé » chez les adultes âgés de plus de 60 ans à Machad, Iran (Thèse de doctorat en Sciences de l’éducation et de la formation). Université de Haute Alsace, Mulhouse, France.

Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J. (1998). On critical reflection. Adult Education Quarterly, 48, 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713698048003

Mitchell, B. A., & Wister, A. V. (2015). Midlife challenge or welcome departure? Cultural and family-related expectations of empty nest transitions. The International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 81(4), 260–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415015622790

Nohl, A.M. (2016). Bildung und transformative learning. In: D. Verständig, J. Holze, & R. Biermann (eds.), Von der Bildung zur Medienbildung (pp. 163–177). Springer VS.

Oliveira Batista de, A. F. (2016). Représentations sociales de l’apprentissage chez les aînés : Une perspective intergénérationnelle. Thèse de doctorat en éducation. Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec. http://savoirs.usherbrooke.ca/bitstream/handle/11143/10277/De_Oliveira_Batista_Ana_Flavia_PhD_2017.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

Pastré, P., Mayen, P., & Vergnaud, G. (2006). La didactique professionnelle. Revue française de pédagogie(154), 145‑198. https://doi.org/10.4000rfp.157

Percy, K. (1990). The future of educational gerontology: A second statement of first principles. In F. Glendenning & K. Percy (Éd.), Ageing, education, and society: Readings in educational gerontology (p. 232‑239). Association for Educational Gerontology.

Peterson, D. A. (1976). Educational Gerontology: The state of the art. Educational Gerontology, 1, 61‑73. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.1976.12049517

Phillipson, C. (2019). ‘Fuller’ or ‘extended’ working lives? Critical perspectives on changing transitions from work to retirement. Ageing and Society, 39(3), 629-650. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X18000016

Principi, A., Smeaton, D., Cahill, K., Santini, S., Barnes, H., & Socci, M. (2020). What happens to retirement plans, and does this affect retirement satisfaction? The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 90(2), 152-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/00914150187966

Rafnsson, S. B., Shankar, A., & Steptoe, A. (2017). Informal caregiving transitions, subjective well-being and depressed mood: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Aging & Mental Health, 21(1), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2015.1088510

Recksiedler, C., & Stawski, R. S. (2019). Marital transitions and depressive symptoms among older adults: Examining educational differences. Gerontology, 65(4), 407–418. https://doi.org/10.1159/000493681

Ritzhaupt, A. D., Martin, F., Pastore, R., & Kang, Y. (2018). Development and validation of the educational technologist competencies survey (ETCS): Knowledge, skills, and abilities. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 30(1), 3 33.

Robitaille, A., van den Hout, A., Machado, R. J. M., Bennett, D. A., Čukić, I., Deary, I. J., Hofer, S. M., Hoogendijk, E. O., Huisman, M., Johansson, B., Koval, A. V., van der Noordt, M., Piccinin, A. M., Rijnhart, J. J. M., Singh-Manoux, A., Skoog, J., Skoog, I., Starr, J., Vermunt, L., … Terrera, G. M. (2018). Transitions across cognitive states and death among older adults in relation to education: A multistate survival model using data from six longitudinal studies. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 14(4), 462–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2017.10.003

Scallon, G. (2004). L’évaluation des compétences et l’importance du jugement. Pédagogie collégiale, 18(1), 14‑20.

Scharenberg, K., Wohlgemuth, K., & Hupka-Brunner, S. (2017). Does the structural organisation of lower-secondary education in Switzerland influence students' opportunities of transition to upper-secondary education? A multilevel-analysis. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Soziologie 43 (1), 63-88. https://doi.org/10.1515/sjs-2017-0004

Schmidt-Hertha, B., & Müller, M. (2017). Occupational and educational biographies of older workers and their participation in further education in Germany. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 57(3), 441‑458.

Schmidt-Hertha, B., & Rees, S.-L. (2017). Transition to retirement – learning to redesign one’s lifestyle. Research on Ageing and Social Policy 5(1), 32-56. https://doi.org/10.17583/rasp.2017.2426

Schneider, K. (1993). Alter und Bildung—Eine gerontagogische Studie auf allgemeindidaktischer Grundlage. Klinkhardt.

Schommer, M. (1998). The influence of age education on epistemological beliefs. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 68, 551‑562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1998.tb01311.x

Schoon, I., & Silbereisen, R. (Eds.) (2009). Transitions from school to work: Globalisation, individualisation and patterns of diversity. Cambridge University Press

Stauber, B. Walther, A., & Settersten, R. A. (Eds.) (2022). Doing transitions in the life course. Processes and practices. Springer.

Staudinger U.M., & Baltes P.B. (2000). Entwicklungspsychologie der Lebensspanne. In H. Helmchen, F. Henn, H. Lauter, & N. Sartorius (eds), Psychiatrie spezieller Lebenssituationen (S. 3-17). Springer.

Steptoe, A. & Wardle, J. (2017). Life skills, wealth, health, and wellbeing in later life. PNAS 114 (17), 4354-4359 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1616011114

Taylor, E. W. (1998). The theory and practice of transformative learning: A critical review (Information series No. 374). Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education.

Vrkljan, B., Montpetit, A., Naglie, G., Rapoport, M., & Mazer, B. (2019). Interventions that support major life transitions in older adulthood: A systematic review. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(3), 393–415. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610218000972

Walker, R, Belperio, I, Gordon, S, Hutchinson, C, Rillotta, F. Caring for a family member with intellectual disability into old age: Applying the sociocultural stress and coping model to Italian and Greek migrants in Australia. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2020; 33: 887– 897. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12710

Walther, A., Stauber, B., Rieger-Ladich, M., & Wanka, A. (Hrsg.) (2020). Reflexive Übergangsforschung. Theoretische und methodologische Grundlagen. Verlag Barbara Budrich.

Weinert, F. E. (2001). Vergleichende Leistungsmessung in Schulen ¬eine umstrittene Selbstverständlichkeit. In Weinert, Franz E. (Hrsg.), Leistungsmessungen in Schulen (S. 17–31). Weinheim: Beltz.

Wienberg, J. (2013). Die protektive Funktion von Bildungsaktivitäten für ein « erfolgreiches » Altern. Dissertation Doktorgrad in Erziehungswissenschaft. Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg. http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/17069/1/UB_Dissertation_Jana%20Wienberg.pdf

Downloads

Published

2023-09-28

How to Cite

Kern, D., & Schmidt-Hertha, B. (2023). Developing competencies to cope with transitions in later life. Particularities of learning offers for older adults. Ricerche Di Pedagogia E Didattica. Journal of Theories and Research in Education, 18(2), 97–112. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1970-2221/15779