Information Technology Education for Older Adults as a Continuing Peer-Learning Process: A Chinese Case Study

Abstract

This article examines older Chinese's learning and use of computers and the Internet, focusing on the major barriers encountered and strategies employed to overcome those barriers. A total of 33 interviews were conducted in 2004 in Shanghai. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory. The following are the major findings : (a) lack of technical support is a major barrier to information technology (IT) learning, yet it is difficult to get support from younger people; (b) learning from age peers is an effective way to learn about IT; and (c) short-term computer classes are only the beginning, while computer clubs that may last for years can provide much-needed continuing training.

The findings reported in this article are part of a larger research project that examined the impact of computers and the Internet on older Chinese's and older Americans' on/offline civic engagement, interpersonal relationships, and individual well-being. The larger research project was supported by the National Science Foundation. Under Grant No. 0431373. The author would like to thank Ken Fleischmann for his constructive comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.