Abstract

This paper presents the results of a preliminary study, in which grandchildren/children and grandparents/middle aged to older adults were observed while interacting with each other and with an App, on a tablet, to develop a proposed activity. Before and after these Joint Media Engagement (JME) sessions, participants were also interviewed, in order to collect data and to assess the perceived impact of the JME sessions in the quality of the intergenerational relationship, on the attitude towards each other and on children and older adults’ digital literacy. The main goals of this preliminary study were to validate data collection instruments and techniques, namely the JME sessions activities, Apps and protocols and the pre- and post-JME session interviews’ scripts. This preliminary study is part of a research that aims to understand the interactions and communication processes taking place during JME sessions involving grandparents/older adults (over 55 years old) and grandchildren/children (5 to 10 years old) in collaborative usage of tablets and tablets’ Apps, in order to develop guidelines for designing mobile contents and Apps to support and promote intergenerational interactions.

Highlights

  • Research has shown that the promotion of intergenerational relations and contact is crucial, as a way of countering those age gap’s issues and ensure the cognitive, emotional and social wellbeing of both children and older adults [4,6,7,8]

  • All the initiation questions posed during the pre-Joint Media Engagement (JME) session interviews, both to children and older participants proved to be effective in triggering the conversation around the indicators of digital literacy and the quality of intergenerational relationship and attitude toward each other

  • No problems were identified in the postJME session interviews made to the older participants

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Summary

Introduction

As reported by [1,2,3], population aging is a worldwide phenomenon, resulting from decreasing mortality and declining fertility, that will continue to grow. In this way, coexistence between generations, namely between grandparents and grandchildren, is becoming more common and lasting for longer periods of time. Research has shown that the promotion of intergenerational relations and contact is crucial, as a way of countering those age gap’s issues and ensure the cognitive, emotional and social wellbeing of both children and older adults [4,6,7,8]. Quality intergenerational relations and contact between grandparents and grandchildren, are of extreme importance, being related with more positive behaviors towards older adults and a more effective transition to adulthood (for grandchildren) and a higher social interaction, satisfaction and mental and physical health (for grandparents) [4,8,9]

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