Abstract

To uncover the underlying logic behind older adults' Intention to participate in online continuing education and the contextual role of urban differences, this study constructs an analytical framework based on expectancy-value theory. A total of 355 valid questionnaires were collected to empirically examine the influence of digital proficiency, course relevance, and perceived social support on older adults' Intention to engage in online education. Furthermore, city tier was introduced as a moderating variable to analyze multi-path moderation effects. The results show that all three explanatory variables are positively associated with the Intention to participate in online education, with the effects of digital proficiency and course relevance being stronger in higher-tier cities. These findings not only enrich the theoretical perspectives on older adults' online learning behavior but also reveal the moderating logic of regional environments in educational behavior mechanisms, providing empirical evidence and managerial implications for improving the adaptability and regional balance of elderly education resources.