The Effect of Participation in Adult Education on Life Satisfaction of Immigrants and Natives: A Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

Beyond formal education, continuing adult learning and education (ALE) is considered as successful means for supporting immigrants’ integration into the receiving society. Although recently, subjective parameters of immigrants’ integration (e.g., life satisfaction) have received increasing academic attention, research on the impact of education on subjective integration indicators is still rare. To address this, the present study contributes to the literature by investigating the effect of ALE participation on life satisfaction in a longitudinal design. The study compares the effect for the group of immigrants with the group of natives in order to estimate whether the potential education effect on life satisfaction is equally strong for both groups or stronger for the group of immigrants (interaction effect). For this, the study uses seven waves of panel data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) with N = 6386 individuals, of which N = 1002 individuals have a migration background. Methodologically, a Random Intercepts Cross-Lagged Panel Model is applied. This allows distinguishing within-person fluctuations from trait-like between-person differences. On the between-person level, we find a significant link between ALE participation and life satisfaction for both immigrants and natives. However, on the within-person level, no significant cross-lagged effects are observed. Moreover, we find no support for an immigrant-native gap in life satisfaction.

Does participation in non-formal adult education matter for individual subjective well-being as a multidimensional functioning?

“…Older adults see lifelong learning as a way to experience enjoyment, to improve their self-confidence, and to be engaged with other people (McNair, 2012). In their study, Granderath et al (2021) reveal a significant relationship between participation in adult education and life satisfaction on the interpersonal level for both immigrants and natives, but they do not find significant effects on the intrapersonal level. Besides these studies, as Boeren (2021: 4) has recently outlined, the gap in research linking happiness with adult learning “remains visible in the literature as, based on an extensive literature search using EBSCOhost and the university library catalog, no specific studies on the link between happiness and adult learning can be found.” She further emphasizes that “this issue has not been studied through a European comparative lens, despite the EC’s desire to see participation in education throughout life as a vehicle for economic prosperity and well-being, both at the individual and the societal level” (Ibid.).…”

Work-Time Control and Exhaustion: Internal Work-to-Home Interference and Internal Home-to-Work Interference as Mediators

“…They came from various branches and occupations and worked 39.09 (SD = 10.49) hours per week on average. Following Granderath et al [ 32 ], we ran an additional analysis with an unbalanced panel including all dependent employees 65 years or younger, without restrictions regarding participation in all three measurements ( n = 17,918; see Appendix A , especially Table A1 ). To assess differences between “stayers” who participated in all three waves and “leavers” who did not, we conducted Mann-Whitney U tests, Fisher’s exact tests, and a multiple logistic regression including study variables and control variables ( Appendix A : Table A2 and Table A3 ).…”

Students' experience of stress with different framework conditions and different origins

“…The international students also more often reported emotional stress compared to the German students. Data used from seven waves of panel data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) with 6,386 individuals (included 1,002 international students) found no support for an immigrant-native gap in life satisfaction [26].…”