Exploring the Latent Structure of Lifelong Learning Competency and Its Predictors among Middle-aged Adults in South Korea

This study investigated the latent factor structure of lifelong learning competency and its predictors among middle-aged adults, utilizing a large-scale dataset of 11,500 individuals in Seoul, South Korea. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted, followed by multiple regression analyses. EFA revealed a four-factor structure—Learning Orientation, Social Competency, Learning Execution Competency, and Knowledge Creation & Sharing—which differs from previous models, suggesting life-stage specificity. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses identified subjective career perceptions, such as career-life self-awareness and perceived career sustainability, as the most powerful predictors of these competencies, outweighing the effects of socio-demographic and objective work experience factors. These findings highlight the context-specific nature of lifelong learning competency in midlife and provide an integrated framework linking it to career transition theories. The results offer significant implications for developing tailored policies and programs aimed at enhancing the competencies of middle-aged learners by addressing their career-related psychological attributes.