Glenna Lear

I began my career as a Third Age university student in 1997 and gained my B. Adult and Vocational Education (Honours, first class) in 2004 with a study of higher education in the Third Age which investigated the experiences of postgraduate study as a retirement activity.  As I live in Port Lincoln, South Australia most of my study has been as an external student.

I am a member of CREEW (Centre for Research in Education, Equity and Work)
            Adult Learning Australia
            Ambassador for Learning
            Emerging Researcher in Ageing and attended the 2009 ERA Masterclass, University of Queensland, Brisbane

Awards and Scholarships:
           APA Scholarship 2005
           Ruth Gibson Memorial Awards 2007

There's Got to Be More!  The Third Age Life of Rural Women of Action

My thesis is a heuristic inquiry narrative inquiry into the experiences and learning of a small group of Third Age rural women of action  from the Lower Eyre Peninsula of South Australia.  The women, as co-researchers, explore their experiences and autobiographies in two extended conversations about their learning.  Every community, and organisation has women of action who are high achievers, community leaders, and change agents. 
Heuristic inquiry requires that the researcher has a passionate interest in the phenomenon, therefore, my experiences as a Third Age university student living in the same region, are an integral part of the inquiry.