Longlife learning

The main agenda of MCA nowadays is longlife learning. But most of its fronts are old folks. They want to learn something new, most probably the IT, Isn't it? I guessed.

The trope is "Can you teach an old bird to sing?" By rights you can. I tell you the possibleness within the metaphors.

It reflects the widely held stereotype that older people have difficulties in adapting to new methods and techniques.

Studies consistently demonstrate that older employees are preceived as being relatively inflexible, resistant to change, and less trainable than their younger counterparts, particularly with respect to information technology skills.1

But this metaphor is wrong.

The evidence indicates that older workers (typically defined as people aged 50 and above) want to learn and are just as capable of learning as any other employee group.

Older workers do seem to be somewhat less efficient in acquiring complex or demanding skills. That is, they may take longer to train. But once trained, they perform at comparable levels to younger workers.2

However, the ability to acquire the skills, knowledge, or behavior necessary to perform a job at a given level - that is, trainability - has been the subject of much research.

And the evidence indicates that there are differences between people in their trainability. A number of individual difference factors (such as ability, motivational level, and personality) have been found to significantly influence learning and training outcomes.3

Age, however, has not been found to influence these outcomes. Only they may take longer to learn.

1. L. Festinger, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957)
2. A.W.Wicker, “Attitude versus Action: The Relationship of Verbal and Overt Behavioral Responses to Attitude Objects,” Journal of Social Issues, Autumn 1969
3. Ibid., p.65