raditionally interested in leisure education (Knox, 1993, p. 332). Lifelong learning involves informal (everyday), formal, and nonformal (leisure) education. And, although nonformal education can be undertaken at any stage of life, it is a primary learning path for the elderly, i. e., those who have completed their careers and have sufficient time "to engage in learning as a form of leisure or to adjust to life transitions" (Arsenault & Anderson, p. 28).
Leisure education depends upon "the freedom to choose learning activities that will enrich one's life" but the existence of such opportunities and an open attitude toward leisure resulted from changes in American society (Arsenault & Anderson, 1998, p. 30). Leisure time was often thought of as an unacceptable indulgence. But for those born after 1940 it was increasingly seen as a source of meaning and self-definition--"an integral component of one's lifestyle" that, like lifelong learning, is seen as "fundamental to human existence" (Arsenault & Anderson, p. 29). Those who have spent a lifetime learning will continue to do so in their free time both before and after retiring from work. They look for educational opportunities that enhance the quality of life and leisure and they take part in programs for the elderly or in "self-directed learning about general education topics, auditing standard courses, taking study tours, and participating in mutual aid societies" (Knox, 1993, p. 332). Educ
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