Addressing Ageism in Students: A Systematic Review of the Pedagogical Intervention Literature

Abstract

With the rapid aging of the population, strategies that can be incorporated into the curriculum are needed, including social work and medicine. Over the past 20 years, pedagogical strategies to improve attitudes toward older adults and gerontological practice along with knowledge about aging have been tested. Instructors are seeking methods that are evidence-based; thus, a need for a systematic review of this literature is warranted. For this review, 58 articles met inclusion and were evaluated to determine the best approaches to positively impacting knowledge about, and attitudes toward, older people and gerontological practice. Interventions to change knowledge are the most straightforward with support for aging courses, modules, and infusion approaches. A combination of information with an experiential activity (e.g., service learning) was the most common pedagogical approach; the evidence suggests that this approach can change student attitudes. Addressing gerontological interest appears to be more challenging with fewer studies reporting a positive change. Future research should seek to test additional approaches that may influence student interest in gerontological practice, and additional studies that seek to test online strategies should be conducted, given the prominence of these courses.