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Effect of Adult Education on Adults’ Understanding of the Sharing Economy

Abstract

The sharing economy refers to an economic system in which individuals or organisations access, share, exchange, or make temporary use of goods, services, and resources, often through digital platforms and peer-to-peer arrangements. Adult Education provides opportunities for adults to acquire knowledge about emerging economic practices and understand how they operate in everyday life. As technology continues to create new ways of accessing services and resources, understanding the sharing economy can help adults make informed decisions about participation in these emerging economic activities. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Adult Education on adults’ understanding of the sharing economy. Adult Education can expose learners to concepts associated with the sharing economy, including peer-to-peer exchange, collaborative consumption, resource sharing, platform-based services, temporary access, and shared use of underutilised resources. Through structured learning activities, adults can examine how individuals use digital and community-based platforms to share assets, services, skills, and other resources. Such education can also help learners understand the potential benefits and challenges associated with participating in sharing-economy activities. Adults’ understanding of the sharing economy involves their ability to explain its meaning, characteristics, operation, opportunities, and potential limitations. Adults with relevant knowledge may be better positioned to distinguish sharing-economy activities from conventional ownership and commercial transactions. Improved understanding can also help adults recognise different forms of resource sharing, evaluate participation opportunities, and appreciate issues such as trust, platform rules, safety, privacy, and responsible participation. The study will adopt a suitable descriptive survey research design. The population will comprise adults participating in selected Adult Education programmes, from which an appropriate sample will be selected using a suitable sampling procedure. Data will be collected through a structured questionnaire and an appropriate assessment designed to measure participants’ understanding of the sharing economy. The research instruments will be subjected to appropriate validation procedures, while their reliability will be established before administration. Data collected will be analysed using relevant descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to determine the effect of Adult Education on adults’ understanding of the sharing economy. The study is expected to establish that Adult Education has a positive effect on adults’ understanding of the sharing economy. It is anticipated that adults exposed to relevant educational activities will demonstrate improved knowledge of peer-to-peer exchange, collaborative consumption, shared resources, platform-based services, and temporary access arrangements. The study may also reveal that practical learning experiences improve adults’ ability to recognise opportunities and potential challenges associated with participation in the sharing economy. The findings are expected to have important implications for Adult Education practitioners and programme developers. Incorporating sharing-economy concepts into adult learning programmes can provide opportunities for learners to examine practical examples of resource sharing, digital platforms, collaborative consumption, and peer-to-peer services. Such activities may strengthen adults’ understanding of emerging economic arrangements and help them make more informed decisions when considering participation in sharing-economy activities. The study will be significant to adult learners, households, communities, Adult Education practitioners, digital-platform users, businesses, and policymakers interested in emerging economic practices. It is recommended that adult education programmes should incorporate practical learning activities on sharing-economy concepts, platform-based services, collaborative consumption, resource sharing, responsible participation, trust, privacy, and safety. The study concludes that effective Adult Education can improve adults’ understanding of the sharing economy and support informed participation in emerging forms of resource access and economic exchange.

Keywords: Adult Education, Sharing Economy, Collaborative Consumption, Peer-to-Peer Exchange, Resource Sharing, Digital Platforms, Shared Services, Temporary Access, Platform-Based Services, Digital Economy, Consumer Awareness, Resource Utilisation, Economic Participation, Responsible Participation, Adult Learning