Abstract
Seniors’ educational needs in Greece are often neglected. In this empirical study we attempt to explore the factors that affect older adults’ intentions of participation to ICT educational programmes. In particular, we mainly used the elements of the Technology Acceptance Model 2 (social influence processes and cognitive instrumental processes), that have been previously successfully implemented in the field of technology acceptance, in order to investigate the model’s potential effectiveness in the areas of lifelong learning and adult education. We used a structured questionnaire to gather the data and we implemented quantitative processes for the analysis. The participants were third age seniors that live in Greece. The results indicate that the majority would like to participate in educational programmes for computer and internet usage and, also, that there is some evidence that Technology Acceptance Model 2 could be modified and used in the field of Adult Education. This could help policy makers and educators better understand seniors’ needs and further reduce phenomena such as social isolation and digital divide.
Exploring seniors’ intentions for attending ICT educational programmes through the implementation of the Technology Acceptance Model 2