Objective:
Lifelong learning (LL) is critical for educator development, and its evaluation can inform educator growth and professional development. Yet, existing scales of lifelong learning are rarely validated in multicultural professional contexts. This study investigates the factor structure of the Wielk Lifelong Learning Scale (Wielk-LLS; Wielkiewicz et al., 2014, Teaching of Psychology, 41(3), 220-227) among culturally diverse education professionals, addressing a key gap in contextualized lifelong learning assessment.

Methods:
The 16-item Wielk LLS was administered to 460 culturally-diverse education professionals (46 nationalities; 73.9% female; mean age=36.3±7.7) via a bilingual (English/Arabic) online survey in Abu Dhabi. Given demographic divergence from prior Western/Turkish student samples, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted using maximum likelihood estimation with Oblimin rotation. Sampling adequacy was confirmed (KMO=0.948; Bartlett’s p<0.001), and parallel analysis was used to guide factor retention.

Results:
The EFA revealed a robust three-factor structure, explaining 53.2% of the variance, with the following factors:
1. Learning Self-perception, which constitutes elements of how an individual perceives their own learning habits (20.2%, e.g., "I see myself as a lifelong learner")
2. Learning Habits, which constitutes elements probing the habits through which an individual learns (16.9%)
3. Learning Application, which constitutes elements describing how an individual applies their knowledge (16.0%)

Inter-factor correlations (r=0.58–0.71, p<0.001) confirmed cohesion while preserving conceptual distinctiveness. Four items, consisting of questions that could be interpreted as pertaining to general habits rather than learning habits (e.g., voluntary reading), were excluded due to low loadings (<0.4). reflecting contextual nuances like mandatory professional development . The overall reliability of the Wielk’s LL was excellent (α=0.931).

Discussion & Conclusion:
This first validation of the Wielk LLS in multicultural educators in an international Middle-Eastern setting reveals a tripartite structure, diverging from unidimensional models that arise from students in more homogenous settings. Findings demonstrate how cultural diversity and educator roles shape the characterization and conceptualization of lifelong learning. This suggests that lifelong learning is multifaceted in educators and should be addressed with a more comprehensive outlook.

Keywords: Lifelong learning, development, education.