The issue of what motivates and what hinders adult learners’ participation in the learning procedure has been repeatedly discoursed. The differentiation of midlife learners’ aspects, expectations, motivations and barriers in Lifelong Learning from those of the rest of adults, is believed to shed light on miscellaneous views to be considerably considered. It is obvious that the older the participants the more different their prompting and inhibitory factors as well as their expectations, classifying them to a special category worth exploring. In this sense, a qualitative survey was conducted, with the aim of pinpointing the significance of “age” in learning process. Thirteen middle aged participants from different Greek regions were intentionally selected to be interviewed through semi-structured interviews based on empirical grounded theory. The data were analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. The participants’ basic motive seemed to be their interest in self-improvement and professional evolution. What hindered them most was the time management as a consequent of burdened obligations. Despite their different educational background, they were willing to harmonize their learning needs with any educational innovation and socio-cultural changes concerned. Midlife learners proved to be ardent supporters of Lifelong learning.

Keywords: (Lifelong) Learning, Adult Education, Middle-aged learners, Motives, Barriers, Expectations, Soft Skills.