The Revival of Research Circles: Meeting the Needs of Modern Aging and the Third Age

Abstract

This article provides evidence that it is worthwhile to reconsider the traditional research circle method as a means of involving people in the third age in fulfilling their needs to participate in learning activities and make their voices heard. The findings are based on three cases of research circles consistently driven by the interests of the older participants and which increased their capacity to deepen their life experiences, create a political agenda for necessary change, and become more attached to local history.

The authors gratefully acknowledge Eileen Deaner at the Department of Design Sciences, Lund University, for translation services and comments on the text, and to Lars Karlsson, Ph.D. at Lund University for Teaching and Research, for his initial theoretical support.