Title:
LIFELONG LEARNING ATTITUDES: CURRENT LEVELS AND STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE LIFELONG LEARNING OF CAMBODIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Authors:
Neak Piseth* and Dr. Archanya Ratana-Ubol ,Thailand

Abstract:
Cambodia is one of the developing countries lacking human resources which are the main factors for this country to strive for economic development. Lifelong learning has played a crucial role in helping Cambodia exacerbate its human resource development. This research study aims (1) to investigate the current levels of lifelong learning attitudes of Cambodian university students, (2) to identify the current levels of their lifelong learning attitudes comparing to ages, genders, and educational background and (3) to explore practical strategies to promote lifelong learning attitudes of Cambodian university students. Quantitative and qualitative research has been used in this study. To attain the first and second research objectives, 273 respondents completed the questionnaires by analyzing Means, Standard Deviations, and One-Way ANOVA. The third research objective, the researchers have conducted a semi-structured interview with five key informants by conducting discourse analysis and coding key concepts to construct those strategies. The research findings articulated that lifelong learning attitudes of Cambodian university students are at the average level with mean values lower than 3.49, which implicates a need for strategies to improve this status quo. There are no significant differences with a significant value ?=.05 in terms of the current levels of lifelong learning attitudes of Cambodian university students compared to their genders. Whereas there are significant differences with a significant value ?=.05 of the current levels of lifelong learning attitudes of them comparing to their genders and educational background. As a result, there are some strategies suggested by experts to promote lifelong learning attitudes of Cambodian university students are recommended to adult educators, professors, and lecturers to adjust their teaching methodologies and techniques in terms of inside classroom and outside classroom activities, which are the primary catalyst to promote their students’ lifelong learning attitudes.