Using Intergenerational Service Learning to Promote Positive Perceptions about Older Adults and Community Service in College Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Penick ◽  
Marte Fallshore ◽  
Adrian M. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service

Critical Pedagogy beyond the Classroom Walls: Community Service-learning and Spanish Heritage Language Education

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-314
Author(s):  
Jennifer Leeman ◽  
Lisa Rabin ◽  
Esperanza Román-Mendoza
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
After School ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Heritage Language Education

This article describes a critical service-learning initiative in which college students of Spanish taught in an after-school Spanish class for young heritage language (HL) speakers at a local elementary school. We contextualize the program within broad curricular revisions made to the undergraduate Spanish program in recent years, explaining how critical pedagogy and our students’ experiences motivated the design of the program. After describing the program, we analyze reflections from participants that show how the experience helped them take their critical language agency beyond the classroom walls and integrate university, school and community knowledges, as both the college students and the children they taught came to view their cultural and linguistic heritages to be of educational and public importance.

scholarly journals SERVICE LEARNING AS A MEANS TO ENHANCE CONNECTIONS TO OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S536-S536
Author(s):  
Marjorie A Getz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Certificate Program ◽  
Course Content

Abstract Aging is a distinct part of the life cycle. College students enrolled in courses in gerontology often have difficulty relating to aging, that part of life not yet experienced. They may not fully appreciate that adults become more unique, not more similar, as they age. We describe courses in an undergraduate gerontology certificate program that incorporate experiential learning activities with older adults across a hierarchical sequence of courses. These courses feature service learning opportunities focused on increased understanding of course content, broader appreciation of the discipline and improved sense of civic responsibility. Much like the course content of the curriculum, the incorporated experiential learning opportunities for each course level fit a hierarchy leading to student competence and skills development needed for success in the final independent practicum. For the described courses, students provided community service, experienced direct contact with older adults and used reflective practices to integrate course content into service learning activities. We report on qualitative data obtained from students enrolled in the foundational course, Biophysical Aspects of Aging and the third level course, Aging and Mental Health. Content analyses of reflective essays identified five themes: (a) insights about the realities of aging in America (b) perceptions concerning personal negative stereotypes about older adults; (c) feelings of accomplishment/awareness of new skills in providing community services; (d) understandings related to the importance/value of community service; and (e) successes in integrating the course work on aging into service-learning experiences. Other experiential learning activities incorporated into this gerontology certificate program are highlighted.

scholarly journals Reducing Ageism in a Lifespan Development Course Using Service Learning: Does an Aging Focus Matter?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 8-8
Author(s):  
Allyson Graf ◽  
Callie Bolling
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Lifespan Development ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Science Majors ◽  
Psychology Course ◽  
Development Course

Abstract A rapidly growing older adult population underlies the importance of reducing ageism. Research shows that college students typically hold negative views of older adults. While education and demonstrations within aging-focused courses contribute to reducing ageist beliefs, attitudes, and behavior toward older adults, contact with older adults amplifies these effects. This study investigated whether integrating contact with older adults into a lifespan development course was effective in decreasing college students’ ageism. The sample (N = 104; Mage = 19.94, SD = 3.27) were enrolled in the psychology course, largely as a major requirement for social science majors (51.9%) and health science majors (38.5%). As part of the course curriculum, a portion of the students (n = 57) interacted with older adults to fulfill a service-learning requirement; a control group (n = 47) were not given this option. Knowledge (Facts on Aging), behavior (Relating to Old People Evaluation; aging-related career intentions), and attitudes (Anxiety about Aging and Ambivalent Ageism) were assessed at the beginning and end of the semester. Quantity and quality of contact with older adults was also measured at baseline as a covariate. In a series of ANCOVA analyses, students with aging-related experiences across the term did not differ significantly on any measure compared to those without these experiences, controlling for experience with older adults and baseline assessments. The implications of this finding in the context of research may signal that focus of the course content may be an important moderator of the effectiveness of service-learning experiences with older adults.

scholarly journals Evaluating Service-Learning with Older Adults on Undergraduate College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 943-944
Author(s):  
Sharon Merkin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction: Students in the Frontiers in Human Aging course at UCLA participate in service-learning (SL) with older adults. In 2020, completion of SL coincided with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the impact of SL on student attitudes on aging and community service in the context of the pandemic. Methods: Students were assigned to senior residential and daycare programs for 18-20 hours of SL. A retrospective pretest-posttest survey asked about attitudes and interests before and after SL and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these perceptions; 73 (of 103) students responded. Mean differences before and after SL were tested and differences were assessed within groups reporting COVID-19 effects. Results: SL improved students’ attitudes and ability to engage with older adults, knowledge about aging concepts, interest in future work with older adults, attitudes on community service, social well-being and feelings of usefulness (p<0.001). There was no significant change in overall anxiety about aging (p=0.1), however, students showed increased anxiety about losing independence and finances when older (p<0.05). At least 50% of students reported that the COVID-19 pandemic increased their awareness of needs of older adults (81.9%) and decreased connection to their peers (50.7%); the impact of SL remained unchanged by these effects. Conclusion: Despite the overall benefits of SL, increased anxiety about aspects of aging suggests the need to address these concerns. While the COVID-19 pandemic did not seem to affect the impact of SL, this event did seem to influence perceptions about aging and social integration.

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