Gerontology emerged as a discipline in America in the 1940s and 1950s. Since the 1950s, it has developed much more slowly in Britain. The study of gerontology generally aims to improve the knowledge base about the aged and the aging process in order to provide better qualified personnel and develop a more efficient delivery system to serve the…

Examines ways in which discussion of education for older adults has been enlarged and expanded since 1973. Discusses developments in third-age learning, educational gerontology, and preretirement education. (Contains 33 references.) (SK)

Elaborates principles of education for older adults: (1) shift from viewing the elderly as disadvantaged to examining their treatment within the socioeconomic context; (2) critical educational gerontology, rooted in critical theory; (3) emancipation, empowerment, and transformation; and (4) theory based on action. (SK)

Contrary to conventional wisdom about the nature and purpose of education in later life, education for older adults should relate to their gaining power over their lives, to retraining, self-fulfillment, and empowerment. Critical educational gerontology should be based on concepts of emancipation, transformation, and conscientization. (SK)

This book contains nine papers on the development of education for older adults in the United Kingdom and Canada against the background of an aging population and the challenge of lengthening life expectancy. "Foreword" (David James) presents an overview of the book's contents and underscores the importance of motivation to learning in…