This study aims to find out the learning experiences senior women go through while participating in a lifelong education program and essential meaning of their experience in participating in lifelong education. The research problems addressed in this study in relation to the objective above are as follows:
First, what do senior women experience when participating in lifelong education?
1) What are the educational experiences that senior women get from participating in lifelong education?
2) What is the self-image transformation that senior women experience while participating in lifelong education?
Second, what is the essential meaning of their experience in participating in lifelong education?
This research applied the phenomenological methods of Giorgi. A snowball sampling of 8 senior women above the age of 65 who have an experience in participating in lifelong education center of malls located in the cities B, C, and U were interviewed and participated in focus groups to describe the participation experience of lifelong education. Data was gathered from February to April 2016. Data was analyzed for significant statements and coded to identify recurring themes. 889 meaningful units were picked out from the data, and they were grouped into 112 meaningful units. The 112 units were divided into 12 subcategories and finally, into 6 main categories.
The following is the results of the study on learning experience and essential meaning of lifelong education.
First, from the aspect of a learning experience, the background of the research participants who participated in the education was influenced by a variety of factors namely, lost self-esteem, financial difficulties, inability, lethargy, poor health, obliviousness from people around them, depression, and loss(empty nest syndrome). In this situation, as the research participants grow older, they ask themselves questions like: ‘What am I?’, ‘Am I living my life well?’, and ‘Am I living the way I have always wanted to live?’The research participants learned new knowledge and skills in the learning process. They attained satisfaction from learning the things that they weren’t able to learn in the past due to lost opportunity and from education for new competencies. They also got positive energy from communicating and bonding with the lecturer(instructor), and learned to have a positive mindset from socializing with fellow students. The research participants delightfully and enthusiastically enjoy the various processes of learning. Their passion to learn more which did not go second to those of young people, is beautiful and enough to show that age is truly nothing more than a number. The support and hindrance to participation in this education were one’s own will and passion, support or objection of their families, and exchange and conflict with colleagues. The factors affecting the participation in lifelong education of participants included: recognition of self-development, a sense of kinship and bond with peers, announcement of results from recitals and exhibition, imitating the successful social activities that other participants show, donating their talents, and instructing others. The results of their participation were: confidence, positive mindset and drive in their lives, and formation of interpersonal relationship among fellow participants. Their self-esteem improved through this experience and they were able to find composure in life. On the other hand, not all participants only experienced positive effects. Some people had to drop out of the participation (family problem, conflict with peers, and health issues) or they left but eventually became involved again.
Second, the participants’ self-image went from ‘lethargic and depressed’ before the education experience and then to ‘accepting challenges for another beginning’ and finally transformed into ‘confident, wonderful, and improved self-esteem’. Compared to the self-images of elder persons from the previous research, there were 4 self-image types such as the failure type who remained being a failure, adaptable type who adapted to social changes, producer-adaptable type who adapted to social changes and participated in the community, and those who were seen to have both adaptable and transcendent types. In the self-image transformation process, the participants observed to have gone through phases like ‘open up the heart through good association with others’, ‘discover a new self from seeing others become surprised from observing changes’, and ‘low self-esteem from before the education’. The step by step improvement of the self-image of participants seemed to have ‘cycled repetitively’ and ‘surpassed criticizing self-reflection and rational discussion’. Moreover, the transformation of self-image was not temporary or one-time but was a spiral cycle through failure, trial and error, and coincidence from interaction with others.
Third, the essential meaning of attending lifelong education for senior women was ‘healing the wounds they carry and discovering their brand new selves’. In addition, it was ‘the opportunity that transforms me from my insignificant self to a proud and confident self’ or ‘a healing stepping stone to finding what it is like to be ‘me’’ and ‘a place of sympathy and communication with others’
The conclusions drawn from the research results are as follows:
First, lifelong education was far beyond mere acquisition for knowledge and it played a critical role in offering senior women an opportunity to form a positive self-image of themselves. Thus, there should be a lifelong education support system where senior women can learn what they want to learn anytime and anywhere.
Second, in order to facilitate more participation among senior women and boost the impact of learning, a positive personal relationship through a strong bonding relationship between the instructor and the student and trust among fellow students must be supported. Also, senior women must be supported to constantly participate with their own motivation and passion in learning.
Third, the essential meaning of lifelong education for senior women is ‘a place of healing and discovery’. Therefore, the lifelong education program must be designed to start from looking back and reflecting on oneself and proceed to finding who the self is. Particularly, senior education program developers or educators should design and push the program to let senior women experience the transformation of their self-image and live as a confident individual. Ultimately, they have to support senior women to experience the change in the meaning of self-identity and life through lifelong education and shift the viewpoint on themselves and the world into a positive direction and lead a successful and happy life. In addition, senior education instructors or developers should not only let senior women find their true selves on their own but also help them learn and put sharing into action through communicating with others, along with growing into a better self.