Older Adult Learning in Community Colleges: A New Wave of Adult Learners

Ramona Meraz Lewis, Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, Christopher Bonapace

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Community colleges have a rich history of serving the needs of the larger community and responding to the needs of diverse learners, particularly adult learners. The growing interest in the promise and practice of older adult learning appears to stem from the graying of society coupled with the impact of the baby boomers. Because this demographic receives little attention in the community college education literature, this chapter focuses on older adult learning in the two-year context. Community colleges in particular can better position themselves to bolster enrollment and increase revenues by expanding their lifelong learning programs. The benefits of learning are positively correlated with psychosocial, intellectual, and interpersonal gains. Despite the growing number of initiatives by community colleges to attract older adult learners, too few older adults are taking advantage of formal and informal opportunities for learning, and there is a lack of participation by diverse older learners.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationWorking With Students in Community Colleges
Subtitle of host publicationContemporary Strategies for Bridging Theory, Research, and Practice
EditorsLisa S Kelsay, Eboni M Zamani-Gallaher
PublisherRoutledge
Chapter9
Pages113-128
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9781003448822
ISBN (Print)9781579229160, 9781579229153
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 11 2014

Publication series

NameAn ACPA Co-Publication

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Social Sciences

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