Development and Validation of the Elder Learning Barriers Scale Among Older Chinese Adults

Abstract

This study describes the development and validation of the Elder Learning Barriers (ELB) scale, which seeks to identify the obstacles that affect the level of educational participation of older adults. The process of item pool design and scale development is presented, as well as the testing and scale refinement procedure. The data were collected from a sample of 579 older Chinese adults (aged over 55) in the Xi'an region of China. After randomly splitting the sample for cross-validation purposes, the construct validity of the ELB scale was confirmed containing five dimensions: dispositional, informational, physical, situational, and institutional barriers. Furthermore, developmental differences in factor structure have been examined among older age groups. The results indicated that the scale demonstrated good reliability and validity. We conclude in general that the ELB scale appears to be a valuable instrument for examining the learning barriers that older Chinese citizens experience for participating in organized educational activities.

The Digital Divide Is Aging: An Intergenerational Investigation of Social Media Engagement in China

“…Many researchers defined people aged over 50 as senior [25], whereas others classified people aged 55 and over as the older generation [26], or defined older adults as those who are aged 60 and over [27]. Considering that the retirement age for Chinese people averages 55, and most Chinese gerontology researchers define Chinese seniors as aged 55 and over [28], the present study followed this approach and defined older adults as those aged 55 and over.…”