Page 7 - IJPS-9-3

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Barriers to learning at a U3A in

Lebanon: A structurationist perspective

Hany Hachem * and Marvin Formosa 2
1
1 Department of Education, School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Örebro University,
Örebro, Sweden
2 Department of Gerontology and Dementia Studies, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of
Malta, Msida MSD, Malta
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Active ageing and educational gerontology)

Abstract

This study examines the barriers older learners experience at a University for the Third
Age (U3A) in Lebanon. Contemporary literature often categorizes these barriers into
dispositional, situational, and institutional realms, arising as individual or structural
phenomena. This article envisages barriers as the (un)intended consequences of
(inter)actions among different institutional agents — namely, learners, teachers,
and administrators — within the learning environment. Following Anthony Giddens’
dualistic understanding of agency and structure, the article aims to transcend the
typical dichotomic approach in understanding barriers older persons face when
engaging in lifelong learning. Shedding light on this new perspective on barriers as
(un)intended consequences of agents’ (inter)actions at the U3A, this work raises two
research questions: (i) what barriers confront older learners when engaging in non-
*Corresponding author: formal learning? Moreover, (ii) taking older learners’ perspective, how are these barriers
Hany Hachem
(hany.hachem@oru.se) (re)produced in the (inter)actions of different institutional agents? Following a reflexive
deductive thematic analysis of interview data with ten members at a U3A in Lebanon,
Citation: Hachem, H. &
Formosa, M. 2023. Barriers to this article generates two types of barriers. First, barriers as outcomes of interactions
learning at a U3A in Lebanon: involving learners with teachers and administrators (curricula issues, teachers and
A structurationist perspective. teaching methods, language of instruction, class protocol, and accessibility). Second,
International Journal of Population
Studies, 9(3): 1-14. barriers as outcomes of interactions involving learners (unwillingness and inability to
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.375 socialize, as well as social bias and prejudice). This paper concludes that the actions
of institutional agents at the U3A (re)produce its modus vivendi and modus operandi
Received: September 27, 2022
and calls for the promotion of continuous dialog and reflexivity as countermeasures
Accepted: September 29, 2023 against bias and exclusion to enhance the U3A’s age-friendliness.
Published Online: November 6,
2023
Keywords: Lifelong learning; Older adult education; Barriers; Age-friendly university;
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). Educational gerontology; Structuration theory
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, 1. Introduction
provided the original work is
properly cited. At the turn of the millennium, older persons increasingly participate in formal, non-
Publisher’s Note: AccScience formal, vocational, and leisure-oriented learning opportunities (Montayre et al., 2022).
Publishing remains neutral with Consequently, the demand for age-friendly learning opportunities not only at higher
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional educational institutions (HEIs), especially universities, but also elsewhere, reached
affiliations. unprecedented levels (Formosa, 2019a). HEIs cater to older individuals’ educational

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2023) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.375