Volunteer Leadership in Older Adults’ Self-Guided Learning Groups in Taiwan: Motivations and Management Processes Through an Ecological Lens

As global populations age, active aging and lifelong learning have become critical policy objectives. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Education (MOE) promotes Older Adults’ Self-Guided Learning Groups (OASLGs); however, the sustainability of these groups relies heavily on volunteer leaders. This study investigates the motivations and management processes of “Excellent Leaders” in OASLGs using a qualitative approach. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, we analyzed semistructured interviews with Eight Excellent leaders who agreed to be interviewed. The findings reveal that leadership motivations, specifically altruism, self-growth, and expectancy value, are deeply embedded within the microsystem of personal fulfillment and the Mesosystem of community interaction. Key management processes identified include “learning by doing,” resource mobilization, and the cultivation of peer-based trust. This study extends the ecological understanding of senior volunteering by demonstrating how the Exosystem (policy-structured training) functions not merely as a distant backdrop but as an essential scaffolding that actively sustains the Microsystem (individual leadership agency). Implications for policy include the necessity of continuous, structured training and the fostering of local support networks to sustain volunteer engagement in aging societies.