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Enhancing Digital Literacy for Older Adults Through Communities of Practice: A Case Study of an Older Adult School in China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Digital literacy education is widely recognized as a crucial means of bridging the digital divide among older adults. Applying communities of practice (CoP) to digital literacy education, as implemented by an older adult school in China, has proven to be an effective model. Three teachers and thirteen older learners were observed and interviewed to uncover the characteristics and impacts of this model. The findings reveal that CoP-based digital literacy education fosters positive outcomes in skills, actions, and cognition by cultivating multidimensional interaction, enabling legitimate peripheral participation, and facilitating role transitions.

Source: Adult Education Quarterly

DOI: 10.1177/07417136251385992

Authors: Dengke Liu, Jiacheng Li

Institution: East China Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Technology Use by Older Adults

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Social Science Fund of China