Old people and their participation in educational processes of digital inclusion

Abstract

In recent decades, digital technology and the internet have been incorporated as tools to support the production, circulation, and sharing of knowledge, expertise, and practices, shaping new modes of social and educational interaction. However, this movement does not occur in a homogeneous manner, as inequalities persist in access to and use of digital technologies, which are influenced by social, economic and educational conditions that limit the effective use of these tools, especially among older adults. Thinking about digital inclusion means recognizing it as a space for social participation, in which individuals learn, teach, and reinvent their ways of being in the world. In this scenario, participation is understood as an educational process that brings individuals together around collective interests, strengthens democratic ties and expands possibilities for critical insertion in spaces, including those mediated by technologies. The objective of this thesis was to analyse the participation of older people in the methodological configurations of research on digital inclusion, based on a digital inclusion project developed in Brazil, grounded in a Freirean perspective. It is theoretically grounded in the perspective of critical education, particularly the concept of participation. Methodologically, it is a qualitative study that combines a literature review, expert interviews, and participatory research. Two literature reviews were conducted: one on Brazilian theses and dissertations and the other on international articles. In the empirical field, interviews were conducted with four experts on the contextual conditions that guide and structure Freirean research and practice, as well as observations and meetings on digital technologies with older people participating in two social assistance policy bonding groups in a municipality in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. The data were produced using a self-assessment instrument for participation, analysed using descriptive statistics, and participation in the meetings, which, together with the interview transcripts, were interpreted using reflective thematic analysis. The results show that older people's participation in educational processes and research methodologies is not homogeneous, influenced by different life experiences, levels of familiarity with digital technologies, and the meanings attributed to their use. The research points to the centrality of participation as an ethical, political, and methodological principle, highlighting the need for research methodologies that promote listening, dialogue, and the recognition of older adults as active subjects in educational processes. As a contribution, the thesis broadens the debate on forms and processes of participation by older people in research in the fields of education and ageing, especially regarding the investigation of non-formal educational processes of digital inclusion.