Introductory Gerontology Course Research Articles

NOW SHOWING: THE USE OF FILMS IN ADVANCED GERONTOLOGY COURSES

Abstract While the use of films to teach about aging and older adults is not new, current movies and the students who view them are ever-changing. So too are the learning goals and practices for incorporating media into the advanced gerontological classroom. The current undertaking considers the unique aspects of employing movies (including documentaries and international films) and builds on previous works (Cohen-Shalev & Marcus, 2007; Karasik & Hamon, 2014; Markson & Taylor 1993) with an eye toward the more advanced pedagogical goals of upper level undergraduate and graduate courses. This poster focuses on challenges associated with including film in both traditional and emerging classroom delivery formats (e.g., face to face, hybrid, on-line). A matrix of current aging-themed films is provided, along with strategies for successful applications in upper level and graduate courses. Karasik and Hamon (2014) explored the use of popular film in introductory gerontology courses, creating a detailed matrix of films spanning 1951 - 2012. In addition to film descriptions and ratings, the matrix identified content in the following topical areas in (ageism/stereotypes; cognitive impairment; death & dying; diversity; family relationships; health & wellness; sexuality & intimacy; and work & retirement). The current presentation builds on Karasik & Hamon’s work by developing a companion matrix of films including feature films from 2012- 2023 , as well as documentaries and international films across the same time period. In addition to the newly created companion matrix, there are examples of activities and assignments that incorporate movies into the gerontological classroom.

"I Could Do Stereotypical Old People Things … but I Feel Like I Would Get Bored With That Stuff": College Students' Proactive Steps to Avoid Negative Aspects of Aging.

The preventive and corrective proactivity model explores how internal and external resources mediate age-related stressors to counter negative outcomes of aging. Older adults' proactivity about their future is consistently associated with higher quality of life, but research has not explored younger adults' perceptions of their aging. We used interpretive phenomenology analysis to analyze 24 students' essays from the beginning and end of an introductory gerontology course to understand anticipated adaptation to their 75-year-old self. The superordinate theme proactive steps to avoid negative aspects of aging comprised five subordinate themes (being productive, exercising and eating right, being financially stable, being socially connected, and the roles of older adults). Students presented unrealistically positive selves at 75 and discussed how to maintain and adapt to redefine their aging experience. Findings have implications for research on adaption, proactivity, and the future-self, and suggest that pedagogy incorporates realistic expectations of aging.

When I'm 75: College Students' Self Perceptions of the Challenges of Aging.

Despite robust literature on people's attitudes toward aging, far less is known about attitudes toward one's own aging, especially among college students. We examined college students' self-perceptions of the challenges of aging using essays from a "When I'm 75" assignment implemented at the beginning and end of the semester in an introductory gerontology course. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze 24 students' perceptions of their own aging at age 75. The superordinate theme, challenges of aging, was identified along with five subordinate themes: deterioration, age-related impairments, mental health, loneliness and loss, and experiencing ageism. Findings suggest that after completing the course, students both demonstrated an understanding of realistic age-related changes and had (contradictory) stereotypical ideas of what it would be like to be 75. Findings have implications for research that continues to evaluate self-perceptions and contributes to the development of pedagogical strategies and tools that promote students' optimal aging.

WHEN I’M 75: COLLEGE STUDENTS’ SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF AGING IN AN INTRODUCTORY GERONTOLOGY COURSE

This presentation examines college students’ self-perceptions of aging using written essays from the assignment “When I’m 75” that was assigned at the beginning and end of the semester in an introductory gerontology course. Despite robust literature on people’s attitudes toward aging and older adults, far less is known about attitudes toward one’s own aging, especially among college students. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze the students’ perception of their aging experience in their written assignment. Three overarching superordinate themes were identified: challenges of aging, proactive steps to avoid negative consequences of aging, and housing considerations. Findings suggest that after completing an introductory gerontology course, students demonstrated an understanding of some age-related changes yet still had a stereotypical understanding of what it is like to be age 75. This suggests the need to engage students in moving beyond stereotypes and to better link older age with their own future experience.

“So we basically let them struggle”: Student perceptions of challenges in intergenerational Service-Learning

ABSTRACTService-learning is a widely used pedagogical practice that integrates community involvement and civic engagement into the classroom. Benefits of service-learning in gerontology include an increased sense of personal growth, greater knowledge of aging, and enhanced interest in aging-related careers. However, relatively little research has specifically explored the challenges associated with intergenerational service-learning. A focus group documented the experiences of 19 students who were required to participate in at least 20 hours of intergenerational service-learning for an introductory gerontology course. Because an administrative error prevented students from knowing about the service-learning requirement until they were enrolled, these participants were well qualified to discuss the challenges and positive aspects of their experiences. In addition to confirming known benefits of service-learning, three major themes regarding challenges emerged: lack of communication, the need for guidance, and creating meaningful relationships. This study provides suggestions for further development of “best practice” guidelines unique to intergenerational service-learning.

Students Enrolled in an Introductory Gerontology Course: Their Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Sexual Expression in Older Adults

Little is known about younger adults’ attitudes towards age-related sexual changes and behaviors. Research using the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS) (White, 1982) has been effective in determining knowledge and attitudes among the staff of long-term care facilities, nurses, undergraduate nursing students, health care educators, and physicians. There is a dearth of literature on the knowledge about and attitudes toward aging and sexuality among students’ emerging from an era of sexuality education focused heavily on abstinence-education. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory gerontology course (n = 156) were knowledgeable about age-related changes in sexual expression; the role of political views on attitudes regarding aging and sexuality; relationships among prior sexuality education, knowledge, and attitudes regarding aging and sexuality; and differences in knowledge and attitudes between those with and without an intended career in aging. Results: Students espousing liberal political views were more likely to support continued sexual behaviors among older adults regardless of marital status or residential location. They held attitudes that sexual expression is a personal decision and not one to be made by family or facility staff. Prior sex education was not associated with attitudes toward or knowledge about sexual behavior in adulthood, indicating a deficiency in prior education on adult sexuality. Those who were considering a career in aging were more knowledgeable about age-related changes in sexuality.

Oral History in the Classroom: Fostering Positive Attitudes Toward Older Adults and the Aging Process

Oral history projects can create intergenerational dialogue between students and elders. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate changes in attitudes toward older adults and aging of undergraduate students (n = 14) enrolled in an introductory gerontology course after completion of an oral history project. Attitudes toward older adults and aging were measured with visual analogue scales and were evaluated using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Results indicate that significant changes in attitudes toward older adults (p ≤ .01) and the aging process (p ≤ .001) occurred. Students perceived that the project contributed positively to changes in attitudes and to their classroom experience.

Encouraging Responsible Aging Through Pedagogy: The Future Self Exercise

Introductory gerontology courses have the potential to enhance student appreciation of aging issues. The effectiveness of such courses for informing views about individual aging is little studied. This study, using a quasi-experimental design, examines the impact of participation in an introductory course in aging on 158 undergraduate students in a Midwestern state. The course used an instructional device, the Future Self Exercise, to help students acknowledge and plan for their own future aging. A pre- and postcomparison of student self-ratings and descriptions supports the efficacy of introductory courses using this instructional approach for educating student views about their own aging.

Self-Assessment of Gerontology Teaching Practice: A First-Step in Enhancing Student Learning

This article discusses self-assessment of gerontology teaching practice. Through a process of self-reflection one may find insight into their teaching and, concomitantly, develop best-practices for enhancing student learning in gerontology. A self-assessment framework is presented, illuminating best-practices in the areas of the lecture-discussion cycle and teacher-student interactions. The self-assessment areas and reflective questions, while not exhaustive, will hopefully lead gerontology professors to a more expansive inquiry of their teaching practice and the impact it has on student learning. Regular self-assessment of teaching practice may lead to more effective instruction in undergraduate or introductory gerontology courses as well as enhancement of student learning outcomes.

Service-Learning Projects in an Undergraduate Gerontology Course: A Six-Stage Model and Application

Service-learning opportunities are prominent on many college campuses. The process of designing and implementing service-learning experiences, especially for students of gerontology, however, has rarely been addressed. The current article briefly reviews the background and utility of service-learning in gerontology courses, describes our service-learning project, outlines a general six-stage model for developing service-learning projects in gerontology courses, and describes our process of integrating the service-learning project into an introductory gerontology course. Finally, we demonstrate that in conjunction with the promotion of evaluative practices, service-learning in the gerontology classroom presents a promising practice for creating healthier communities.

INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS, MENTORSHIP AND INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING

This paper discusses the implementation of an intergenerational service-learning (IS-L) project with a mentorship component for graduate students at Western Michigan University's Gerontology Program. Two classes of students, one graduate and one undergraduate, taking introductory gerontology courses were brought together to complete IS-L projects of their own designs. Graduate students were asked to act as mentors to undergradute team members. To guide development of mentorship skills, eight Seifter and Economy (2001) teachable principles of good team management were used: (1) put power in the hands of the people doing the work; (2) encourage individual responsibility; (3) create clarity of roles; (4) share and rotate leadership; (5) foster horizontal teamwork; (6) learn to listen, learn to talk; (7) seek consensus; and, (8) dedicate passionately to your mission. While challenging, most of the graduate students found the process of developing mentorship skills personally insightful and valuable.

INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING IN FIVE COHORTS OF STUDENTS: IS ATTITUDE CHANGE ROBUST?

Service-learning evaluation rarely compares different cohorts of students, so it is difficult to determine whether the findings are reliable. This study compared attitudinal change in five successive cohorts of intergenerational service-learning students (n = 59) enrolled in an introductory gerontology course at a major Midwestern university. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to investigate the attitudes of students. Results indicated that only Cohorts 1 and 2 showed significant positive change at posttest in overall attitude toward the elderly. Additionally, only Cohort 1 showed significant positive change at posttest in overall attitude toward working with elders and on an “I fear getting really old” item. Content analysis of open-ended questions indicated that Cohort 1 had the highest proportion of students with positive attitudes toward their own aging at the end of the service-learning. Possible explanations for these findings and implications for evaluation of intergenerational service-learning programs are discussed.

Incorporating Intergenerational Service-Learning into an Introductory Gerontology Course

Summary The service-learning approach in education, which integrates community service with academic classroom learning, is gaining national prominence. The goals of this project were to incorporate intergenerational service-learning into an undergraduate introductory gerontology course and to involve students and elders in meaningful in-teractions in a rural community setting. Thirteen of the 50 students in the class could be accommodated at nursing home and semi-independent living sites and were paired with elders for friendly visiting and oral history. Attitude scales (Pillemer & Albright, 1996) indicated that service-learning students showed more positive change at post-test in overall attitudes toward the elderly than did non service-learning students. Open-ended questions indicated that students valued the experience, felt it enhanced classroom learning, and gained knowledge about rural elders and communities. Follow-up interviews with elders were uniformly positive.

SERVICE-LEARNING AT THE EDGE OF CHAOS

This paper discusses the implementation of an intergenerational service-learning (IS-L) project by Western Michigan University's Gerontology Program. Two classes of students, one graduate and one undergraduate, taking introductory gerontology courses were brought together to complete IS-L projects of their own designs. Students were placed in teams. Key project components included: negotiation with community partners to construct a viable one-semester project, collaboration on a team, and analysis of the team development process. A Critical Incident Questionnaire was used to collect data on student perceptions of project and class progress. While challenging, most students found the intergenerational service-learning projects and team format valuable and rewarding.

Horticultural Therapy Education and Older Adults

Horticulture has been identified as the number one leisure pursuit of older Americans and as a therapeutic activity which enhances physical and mental health. Instrumental to the involvement of older adults with horticulture is the professional horticultural therapist (HT). Horticultural therapist education, competency skills and professional challenges related to older persons are explored using data from two surveys. The primary method used is a 42-item survey administered in 1995 to 33 American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) members who reported specialties in “education” and “older adults” in the AHTA 1994 Directory. A secondary method is a 55-item question survey administered in 1994 to directors of 41 educational programs associated with AHTA (return rate 76%). Specific topics discussed include educational programs that address aging in their curricula; competencies that should be taught with specific content on older adults; the importance of introductory gerontology courses in HT curriculum; and firlure challenges in teaching about older adults in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, and employment. Survey results provide a basis for proposing ways in which the HT profession can enhance its educational programs to address the future needs of a growing population of older adults.

THE ELDER MENTOR RELATIONSHIP: AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING TOOL

The elder mentor relationship is an experiential learning tool in which undergraduate students in introductory gerontology courses are assigned to initiate and develop a relationship with an older person for the course of the semester. This pairing attempts to expose students to the value of intergenerational relationships and mutual exchange. It also provides an arena in which students can integrate classroom learning with real‐life situations and people. In addition to delineating this educational initiative, its objectives, and details of the assignment, this article provides results of a student evaluation of the project. Fifty‐nine students who completed the elder mentor experience provided feedback in terms of the assignment's effectiveness in meeting several objectives, including facilitating their understanding of gerontology. Students indicated that the elder mentor project was one of the most rewarding and instructive components of the gerontology class. Although making the initial contact was intimidating to some, the majority of the participants were pleasantly surprised at how meaningful the time spent with their elder mentors had become to them. Most discovered that many of their preconceived notions about aging and old age were challenged in a manner not possible in the classroom. In addition to the relational and gerontological insights gained, several student respondents expressed a desire to maintain their relationships with their mentors and to pursue similar relationships with other older adults.

Mainframe Administered Drill and Practice Quizzes for Gerontology Classes

The main focus of this article is the development of a CBE program for the administration of drill and practice quizzes in an introductory gerontology course. The programs are written in DEC's C.A.S. source language and are administered on the VAX 11/785 mainframe central processing unit. The program and its operations are described in detail. Those wishing to obtain copies of the program may directly contact the author.

Successful Aging: The Myths, Realities, and Future of Aging in Canada. Mark Novak. Markham: Penguin Books, 1985, pp. 350 ($9.95 CDN).

ABSTRACTThis is an informative book on aging designed for the educated layperson, not the professional gerontologist or a student in an introductory social gerontology course. It covers demography, health care, pensions, retirement, leisure, education, and politics. An appendix gives useful information on sources of information in every province.

Gerontology in the university curriculum: a study of introductory gerontology course outlines.

No abstract available for this article.

Emphasizing affective outcomes in an introductory gerontology course.

No abstract available for this article.