Bildung im Alter

Abstract

Zahlreiche empirische Untersuchungen stellen inzwischen die traditionelle Defizitthese der altersbedingten Abnahme von Leistungs- und Lernfähigkeit in Abrede. Das kalendarische Alter scheint daher für Bildung im Alter weniger relevant als milieuspezifische und biografische Faktoren. Worin genau bestehen sie, und wie ist informelles Lernen in diesem Zusammenhang zu sehen?

Society and the business world’s interest in continuing education for older people is growing against a backdrop of demographic change. Numerous empirical studies discuss the problem with the traditional deficit thesis, i.e. the thesis of decreasing performance and ability to learn due to age. As a result, the significance of calendar age is increasingly relativised. This article refers to educational sociological and psychological research on learning and older people. The focus is on the significance of informal learning in old age, which is tested for its relevance. The conclusion consists of thoughts on "the wisdom of age".