Intergenerational Learning and Knowledge Transfer in Rural Communities in South West Nigeria

This study examines intergenerational learning dynamics and knowledge transfer between older and younger adults in rural communities in South West Nigeria, investigating how these processes can be harnessed within formal adult education programme design. Intergenerational learning, involving the deliberate exchange of knowledge between different age cohorts, is an understudied dimension of lifelong learning in African contexts where indigenous knowledge transmission traditionally operates across generations. In South West Nigeria, rapid social change and urbanisation are disrupting traditional intergenerational knowledge transfer, creating both a loss of cultural capital and an opportunity for re-embedding learning within formal adult education structures. This study uses an ethnographic case study design in six rural communities in Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo States. Data collection methods include participant observation, oral history interviews with 45 elders, and focus group discussions with 80 younger adults. The nature, content, and mechanisms of intergenerational knowledge transfer are documented. Findings reveal that agricultural techniques, cultural practices, conflict resolution norms, and environmental management knowledge are the primary domains of intergenerational transfer, predominantly through practical apprenticeship and storytelling. Intergenerational learning is declining in communities with higher youth out-migration rates. Integration of elder knowledge-holders as co-facilitators in adult education settings is highly valued by younger adult learners but rarely practised. The study concludes that intergenerational learning models offer significant enrichment potential for adult education in South West Nigeria. It recommends formal intergenerational co-facilitation frameworks in all community-based adult education programmes.

Keywords: intergenerational learning, knowledge transfer, rural communities, South West Nigeria, adult education.