Age and Gender’s Interactive Effects on Adult Learners’ Help-Seeking Behavior
Age and Gender’s Interactive Effects on Adult Learners’ Help-Seeking Behavior

Summary/Abstract: Despite intentions to promote lifelong learning in Taiwan, there are nevertheless many limitations and challenges to doing so. In constructing a lifelong learning society wherein individuals are guaranteed a right to learn, mechanisms must be established to ensure that such opportunities are accessible to all citizens. Hence, the promotion of lifelong learning in Taiwan requires extensive planning and policy intervention in conjunction with the provisioning of high-quality information and counseling services to ensure that an awareness of adult learning opportunities is achieved. Research has generally focused on the effect of gender and age on help-seeking behaviors among adult learners. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the interactive effects of age and gender differences on the help-seeking behaviors of adult learners. In this study, a total of 785 participants were enrolled in the Division of Continuing and Extension Education from southern Taiwan. The data collected were subsequently examined using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance. An interactive effect was identified between gender and age in relation to instrumental help-seeking and avoiding help-seeking. Furthermore, 21–39 years-old adult learners differed by gender in the form of help-seeking behavior. In adult learners from different age groups, instrumental help-seeking and avoiding help-seeking behaviors existed in different cycles by gender. Based on this study, suggestions for teachers, administrators, and future study were also provided.

• Details
• Contents