The Untapped Opportunity of Older Adult Students on Campus

Own-language use has commonly been discouraged by language teachers worldwide ever since the Grammar Translation method gave place to other methods. In the last decade, however, there has been a visible shift in the use of mother tongue and, what is notable, an increasing number of methodologists have begun to point that the use of students’ mother tongue may in fact facilitate the process of learning. Despite the long awaited return of own-language use students’ learning preferences regarding the use of L1 are still often dismissed by teachers either due to lack of experience or to some reservations. Such attitudes may be especially harmful to a group which often demands own-language use in the classroom environment and which remains understudied – the elderly. Therefore, the primary objective of the proposed paper is to highlight the differences between various teacher perceptions of whether or not own-language use does facilitate the process of older adult students’ learning and to collate them with older adult students’ own answers. The secondary objective is to present a possibly wide spectrum of various views reflecting the issues connected with the use of students’ own language and the related influence of teachers’ experiences and perceptions. The disparity between the answers provided by inexperienced teachers, experienced teachers and the elderly learners, especially while taking into account the use of students’ L1, is aimed at drawing some conclusions that may point to alternative directions in the future studies of own-language use in the classroom environment

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Learning from degree-seeking older adult students in a university library

Reference Services Review ◽

10.1108/rsr-06-2014-0017 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 215-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mary C. Aagard ◽

Marilia Y. Antunez ◽

Jaime N. Sand

Keyword(s):

Adult Students ◽

Older Adult ◽

Academic Libraries ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Information Needs ◽

Student Population ◽

Content Type ◽

University Services ◽

Information Seeking Behaviors ◽

Older Adult Students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of library resources and services by degree-seeking older adult students (aged 50 years and over) and it is driven by the role of libraries in serving this often overlooked student population. Older adult students bring many benefits to the life of college campuses; nevertheless, many of these students also face challenges in meeting their information needs in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed degree-seeking older adult students at a comprehensive metropolitan university in the western USA. Surveys were distributed to 579 students enrolled in the spring semester 2013, 134 students completed the 15-question online survey about the use of the library, information-seeking behaviors and use of other university services. Findings – The self-reported findings confirmed that the library meets most of the information needs of this student population. Students commented on satisfaction with the library services, barriers to using the library, areas in need of improvement and use of other university services. Research limitations/implications – Survey participants were gathered from one university and a corresponding sample size of 18-24-year-old students were not surveyed. More research is needed to demonstrate how this particular group varies from their traditional aged counterparts. Practical implications – This paper can be used as a starting point for future research into the information-seeking behaviors and needs of degree-seeking older adult students to develop greater understanding of this diverse population and their unique strengths and challenges. There is an absence in the literature on this demographic group in academic libraries. Originality/value – The article includes recommendations for further study and suggests outreach opportunities directed to older adult students that can also benefit the growing diversity of college students.

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Listening in Older Second Language Learners: The Teachers’ Perspective

Journal of Education Culture and Society ◽

10.15503/jecs20171.148.163 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 148-163

Author(s):

Agata Słowik

Keyword(s):

Adult Students ◽

Language Learners ◽

Older Adult ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Future Research ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Teaching Preferences ◽

Older Adult Students ◽

Older Adult Learners

There are various theories, strategies and techniques regarding teaching different language skills. At the same time, as practice shows listening remains the most challenging skill for the educators to teach effectively and for the learners to master. Moreover, both the learners and their teachers have their own, not infrequently rather disparate, subjective theories, as well as learning and teaching preferences. Older adult learners are a peculiar case as they are a very diverse group, aware of their needs and cognitive abilities. At the same time, their teachers are unfortunately often unaware of these needs and do not adapt the materials to suit their students. The aim of this paper is, thus, to present the opinions of the teachers of older adult students and to provide basis for future research.

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The Effect of Age on Electronic Health Literacy: Mixed-Method Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.11480 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Wan-Chen Hsu

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Adult Students ◽

Health Information ◽

Older Adult ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Penetration Rate ◽

Ehealth Literacy ◽

Internet Penetration ◽

Literacy Scores ◽

Older Adult Students

BACKGROUND The world’s internet penetration rate is increasing yearly; approximately 25% of the world’s population are internet users. In Asia, Taiwan has the fifth highest internet usage, and has an internet penetration rate higher than the world average. Electronic health (eHealth) literacy is the ability to read, understand, and utilize Web health information. eHealth literacy is gaining attention worldwide. OBJECTIVE This study aimed compare the differences in eHealth literacy between traditional college students (aged between 18 and 22 years) and older adult students (aged between 55 and 72 years). It also summarizes the experiences and performances of these 2 groups in terms of searching online health-related information. METHODS A mixed-method approach was used, including questionnaire surveys and interviews. A total of 208 respondents were interviewed: 65 traditional college students (31.3%) and 143 older adult students (68.7%). The results of the interviews were used to compare the eHealth literacy scores of the 2 groups. RESULTS There were significant differences in the overall eHealth literacy scores (t207=2.98; P=.001) and the functional eHealth literacy dimension (t207=12.17; P<.001). The findings showed a significant gap in eHealth literacy between the 2 groups. Most participants believed that online health information could be largely read and understood. However, they were skeptical about the quality of the information and noted that it consisted of either subjective judgments or objective standards. CONCLUSIONS Traditional college students preferred esthetically pleasing health information, whereas older adult students focused on its promotion. Furthermore, the first group often used websites for solving health problems, whereas the second group forwarded health information through communication software.

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Life is not always linear: expanding the notion of transitions in higher education to challenge structural, static and linear processes facing Indigenous and older adult students

Studies in Higher Education ◽

10.1080/03075079.2021.1948526 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Diana Amundsen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Adult Students ◽

Older Adult ◽

Linear Processes ◽

Older Adult Students

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A Study on Older Adult Students’ Behavioural Intention and Learning Satisfaction of Blended e-Learning Course at the Active Aging University

Proceedings of the International Conference on Data Communication Networking, e-Business and Optical Communication Systems ◽

10.5220/0004006801370140 ◽

2012 ◽

Keyword(s):

Adult Students ◽

Older Adult ◽

Behavioural Intention ◽

Active Aging ◽

Learning Satisfaction ◽

E Learning ◽

Older Adult Students

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Relax into Yoga for Seniors: An Evidence-Informed Update for Enhancing Yoga Practice Benefits by Reducing Risk in a Uniquely Vulnerable Age Group

10.21926/obm.geriatr.2101150 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Carol Krucoff ◽

◽

Kimberly Carson ◽

Mitchell Krucoff

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Adult Students ◽

Older Adult ◽

Professional Training ◽

Age Groups ◽

Students At Risk ◽

Entry Level ◽

Reduce Risk ◽

Principles Of Practice ◽

Older Adult Students

Teaching yoga to seniors is often considered an entry-level job for a yoga instructor since older adults are unlikely to attempt complicated, “advanced” postures. Unfortunately, this ill-informed attitude puts the most vulnerable students with the least-trained instructors who may unknowingly put their students at risk. Even experienced yoga instructors often do not understand the vulnerabilities of older adults, and many commonly taught yoga poses may present risks for seniors. This could explain why participants aged 65 and older have a greater rate of injury from practicing yoga when compared with other age groups. This article discusses the safety principles central to the Integrative Yoga for Seniors program. Offered since 2007 at Duke Integrative Medicine, this professional training for yoga instructors is designed to help yoga teachers enhance the benefits of yoga for their older adult students by learning how to work safely with the increasing number of seniors coming to yoga classes. Drawing on specific Principles of Practice that we developed to integrate the knowledge gained from Western medicine with yogic teachings, we offer our evidence-informed Relax into Yoga Safety Recommendations to help reduce risk and thus enhance effectiveness when teaching yoga to older adult beginners. We highlight two areas that pose the greatest risk of compromise to older adult students: cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

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An Investigation of Differential Encoding and Retrieval by Older Adult College Students

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1987.61.3.735 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 735-740

Author(s):

Michael F. Shaughnessy ◽

Laurie Reif

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Adult Learners ◽

Adult Students ◽

Older Adult ◽

Differential Encoding ◽

Adult College Students ◽

Older Adult Students ◽

Older Adult Learners ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

Three experiments were conducted to clarify the encoding/retrieval dilemma by testing older adult students; recognition and recall were compared. Implications of results for older adult learners ate explored.

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