Internet in family life education

Abstract

The overall purpose of this study was to conduct a needs assessment for online family life education for adults. This study explored profile of potential audience, their interests in family life education topics and their Internet experiences with current available family related websites. Data were collected through an online survey. The sample is recruited from three popular Chinese family related websites. Total of 2,459 valid responses were received.The profile of the respondents displayed varieties in demographic traits as well as life experiences. Although the fact that the majority of the respondents has a higher education of diploma and above shows the existence of a digital divide, the fact that the majority of them came from middle income families indicates a tendency of narrowing. significant gender differences were found. The life course perspective and andragogical model proved to be a useful framework in guiding this study and in interpreting the results. Implications for practice and research were discussed.