A Management Model for Elderly Learning Center Administration in Wuxi, China

Background and Aims: The purposes of this study were: 1) to investigate and explore the current situation, desired situation, and priority needs in management of Wuxi ELC; 2) to design the management model using PDCA to enhance Wuxi elderly students’ satisfaction; 3) to try out the management model; and 4) to validate the management model. Materials and Methods: The target group was five managers, ten teachers, and twenty elderly students in WXIT ELC. The twenty students were in the spring semester of the academic year 2024. They were selected by purposive sampling. The study was a pre-experimental design using a one-shot case study. The research instruments were: two PDCA cycles, each cycle consisting of the four stages: plan, do, check, and act. Each cycle lasted one month, for a total of two months. Mean score, standard deviation percentage were used for the data analysis. Results: The results of this study were as follows: 1. Management for Wuxi ELC administration consists of Finance, Personnel, Environment, Rules and Regulations, Teaching activity, Curriculum, Technology application, Networking activity, etc. There were six problems in management for Wuxi ELC administration to enhance elderly students’ satisfaction: ignoring training teachers; ignoring students' interest and motivation in learning; ignoring curriculum evaluation; ignoring network technologies for the elderly; ignoring media devices operation management during teaching; ignoring job responsibilities and reasonable work structure of staff. 2. The management model consisted of four stages as Plan, Do, Check, and Act, and six components: Personnel, Environment, Teaching activity, Curriculum, Technology application, and Networking activity. In addition, the feasibility of this management model was at a high level. The mean score was 4.525. 3. After completing the first PDCA cycle process, the mean scores of the manager, teacher, and student interview forms were 4.78, 4.73, and 4.72; the interpretations were all “The highest level”. After the check and act stage of the first PDCA cycle process, teaching activity, curriculum, technology application, and networking activity management were revised. After completing the second PDCA cycle process, the mean scores of the manager, teacher, and student interview forms were 4.90, 4.79, and 4.74; the interpretations were all “The highest level”. 4. The overall satisfaction of elderly students with the management model was at the highest level. The mean score was 4.78. The overall appropriateness of the management model was at the highest level. The mean score was 4.529. Conclusion: The study identified key components of Wuxi ELC’s management, including finance, personnel, environment, and curriculum. Six major problems were found, such as a lack of teacher training and neglect of students’ interests, curriculum evaluation, and technology use. A management model using the PDCA cycle and six core components was developed. The model’s feasibility was rated at a high level, indicating its potential effectiveness in improving elderly students’ satisfaction.