Dr Xue Bai1, Dr Shuai Zhou
1The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Biography:
Prof. BAI Xue is Professor at the Department of Applied Social Sciences and Director of Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She also serves as a non-executive director for HKMC Annuity. Prof. Bai’s research focuses on three interrelated areas in social gerontology: 1) intergenerational relationships and care arrangements in ageing families, 2) active ageing and subjective well-being in later life, and 3) social policy and social care in ageing societies. Prof. Bai’s work has been widely published in renowned international journals, including The Gerontologist, Ageing & Mental Health, Ageing & Society, and Health & Social Care in the Community. Currently, she is an appointed member of Social Welfare Advisory Committee and Elderly Commission advising the HKSAR Government on ageing-related issues and social welfare policy matters.
Abstract:
The widening digital divide, compounded by ageism during the COVID-19 pandemic, has sparked global attention to the psychosocial needs of vulnerable older groups. This study innovatively introduced positive education (PE) into digital training and examined the effectiveness of different skill learning designs.
A total of 389 older participants aged 60 or above were recruited from Hong Kong. The participants were assigned to three groups: (1) control group (n =24); (2) non-PE group receiving regular skill training (n = 224); and PE group participating in skill training activities empowered by positive education elements (n =141). The well-designed digital skill training programmes were delivered to older adults in multiple sites in collaboration with local nonprofit partners from 2022 to 2024.
Paired t-tests showed that older participants in both PE and non-PE groups experienced increased digital literacy, reduced digital anxiety, more positive attitudes towards young people, enhanced mastery of intergenerational communication skills, and better health. Participants in the PE program also demonstrated significant improvements in lifelong learning motivations, subjective well-being and psychological resilience, as well as a meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms. Comparing across groups, our results of multilevel linear regression analysis revealed that PE-infused intergenerational learning activities generated more positive changes in digital literacy, attitudes towards young people, subjective well-being and psychological resilience at post-tests among older participants than non-PE programmes.
The findings highlight the significant roles of positive education in enhancing digital inclusion and multidimensional well-being in later life.