An ecological perspective on the development of Senior Neighborhood Learning Group: A qualitative case study

This study employed Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to investigate the multifaceted factors influencing the development of a representative Senior Neighborhood Learning Group. Through multiple methods incorporating online observations, field observations, and semi-structured interviews, data were analyzed using the Grounded Theory’s three-tier coding paradigm. Findings revealed that leadership within the microsystem—manifested through contextual sensitivity and resource-linking capability – served as a fundamental catalyst for organizational development. The mesosystem was characterized by group structure, culture, and the innovative ‘fission’ learning model as influential factors. The impact of exosystem was generated through institutional support mechanisms from the Older Adult Education Center and external recognition of learning outcomes, thereby generating a critical leverage effect. At the macrosystem level, pertinent policy and presentation platforms established essential enabling conditions for sustainable growth. By theorizing these interdependent ecological mechanisms, this research advances educational gerontology through a novel conceptualization of community-based senior learning collectives, simultaneously demonstrating how micro-level leadership competencies interact with macro-level structural enablers to foster resilient senior learning ecosystems. The study consequently affirms the imperative of ecological perspectives for both scholarly inquiry and older adult education praxis, offering a multilayered framework that accounts for the complex mediation between individual agency, organizational practices, institutional resources, and sociopolitical contexts in late-life learning initiatives.