Grandparent education and intergenerational assessment of learning

Abstract

ABSTRACTA rationale describes the need for societies with a lengthy lifespan to make education available that can support learning and favorable influence for a rapidly growing grandparent population. International studies drawn from varied disciplines are reviewed that make known the effects of formal education and the effects of social engagement on cognitive functioning of older adults. These two research streams have been merged and applied in grandparent education programs that also consider cultural variance. A three-generational strategy with acceptable psychometric instrumentation is documented. Practitioners in education, family studies, psychology, and social work who want to support grandparent education can benefit from an illustrative study involving 400 retired men and women. The 200 experimental grandparents participating in a 12-week intervention program made significant performance gains as perceived by grandparents, parents, and grandchildren who completed pre-post and delayed-post assessments. In contrast, a control group of 200 grandparents who were paid to engage in the same assessment schedule but denied instruction made no gains.