Addressing the Digital Divide Among Older Adults in Social Housing

This research investigates the potential of incorporating socialization components (“encouragement by others” and “observational learning”) in the delivery of mobile public library-led Android tablet training to improve the learning outcomes of marginalized older adults (aged 65+ who live in social housing). Utilizing a conceptual framework based on Social Cognitive Theory and a theoretical model of community-led digital literacy training, the study explores how learner attributes, learner behaviors, and the learning environment collectively impact psychological, behavioral, and benefit learning outcomes. The research involves: interviews with older adult learners, administrators, and instructors; observations of library-led training conducted on-site at the older adults' place of residence; and analysis of biometric data (via eye-tracking, skin conductance) and audio/video recordings of older adult learners collected during additional tablet training sessions in an on-site state-of-the-art mobile user experience lab. This mobile lab facilitates accessibility of a state-of-the-art computing research infrastructure to this marginalized population.