Education on Old Age and Ageing in School: An Analysis of Students’ Conceptions of Old Age and Ageing and Implications for Teaching

Issues related to old age and ageing are an imperative topic in a society of long life, concerning everyone. Wherever possible, the age-related issues should also be adequately addressed and integrated into school education. This article gives an overview of perceptions of students in regard to external and self-images of old age, as conceptions from students are an important starting point for the development of teaching approaches. So far, there is an insufficient research situation in Germany regrading images of old age of children and adolescents. Guideline-supported individual interviews with 10 ninth graders (Mage = 15.2 years) were conducted and analyzed in order to get an insight into prevalent conceptions of old age and ageing in this age cohort. The students’ ideas result in a comprehensive category system. In summary, our investigation has shown that students do not hold one-sided positive or negative images of old age in general, although some aspects like the physical condition and exercise capacity are seen more negatively than for example the characteristics of older persons. Teaching approaches for biology lessons and other subjects, deducted from the students’ perceptions, are given in the discussion.

Understanding diversity in later life through images of old age

This article aims to enhance the conceptual debate on diversity in old age by exploring the interplay of diversity in later life and images of old age. We argue that the analysis of images of old age on the micro-level is a fruitful methodology in order to unravel the meaning of diversity in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative research in Berlin, we explore how new and diverse imaginations, experiences and lifestyles of old age emerge. The conceptual focus on images of old age enables us to investigate further what diversity in later life comprises and how it simultaneously fosters the genesis of new images of old age. The manifold new images we found in our research suggest that prevalent societal discourses about old age on the macro-level are rather deceptive and represent mostly stereotypes such as ‘active agers’ or ‘frail and dependent elders’. We offer three explanations why alternative images of old age are currently barely present in public discourse: (a) the actors transmitting images of age; (b) the institutionalisation of the images; and (c) the challenge to communicate complexity. We conclude by suggesting that images of old age are a promising starting point to explore and make visible both the diversity of social groups within the older generation as well as the heterogeneity of older individuals.

Восприятие старости и изображение персонажа-старика из XVIII века в русской литературе

Reception of old age in the image of the character of the 18th centuryThe article analyzes the image of the character, whose formation has been associated with the value systems of the 18th century in Russia. Such a character has a structural characteristic of the archetype of the wise old man, the organizer of the world. It considers the transformation of the image at various stages of the literary process, typology identifies similar characteristics in the images of Starodum from the play of Fovizin “Nedorosl” and the old duke Nikolay Bokonsky: vigorous old age, the desire to live by the rules, harmonization of the life of the in-house space, appeal to the rational basis of life. The article identifies and analyzes the direction of values of young characters associated with the respect to old age images of old age in Pushkin’s novel “Kapitanskayia Dotchka” . The author’s attitude to the model of world, created by the heroes of old age, and the possibility of its continued existence — a phenomenon of chronocide, cyclic development of history, the hero leaving this life as an opportunity for the emergence of a new generation and preservation of traditions are assessed.Recepcja starości i wizerunek postaci literackiej osiemnastowiecznego starego człowieka w literaturze rosyjskiejW artykule ukazane zostały typologiczne analogie między postaciami starców, występującymi w utworach Fonwizina, Puszkina i Tołstoja. Autorka analizuje wizerunek tych postaci, których obraz związany jest z systemem wartości osiemnastowiecznej Rosji. Bohaterowie ci mają archetypowe cechy mądrego starca, „organizatora” ładu świata. Autorka artykułu wskazuje podobieństwa w wizerunkach Staroduma z komedii Fonwizina i starego księcia Nikołaja Bołkońskiego z powieści Tołstoja. Obie postaci łączą: energia życiowa, przyjęta hierarchia wartości, dążenie do zachowania harmonii w przestrzeni domu, odwoływanie się do racjonalnej podstawy życia. Przeanalizowany został także system wartości tych młodych bohaterów, którym bliski jest kult starości Griniow z powieści Puszkina Капитанская дочка. Autorka przedstawia swoje refleksje w kontekście takich zagadnień, jak: zjawisko upływu czasu, cykliczność w rozwoju historii, pojawienie się nowej generacji, zachowanie tradycji.

Некоторые наблюдения, касающиеся образа старости в творчестве Валентина Распутина

Some observations regarding the image of old agein Valentin Rasputin’s workThe present essay is devoted to images of old age in the work of the Russian writer Valentin Rasputin 1937–2015. The artistic representation of aging plays a meaningful role in the poetics of the Siberian author, and the thick, transversal presence of the motive gives us the opportunity to examine the different modes it is described in the texts. The old villagers’ figures аre analyzed on the background of the peculiar chronotope in which they live, organically connected to wild Siberian nature. The study focuses in particular on the psychological portraits of old characters in the novels Poslednyj srok The Last Term, 1970 and Proščanie s Matëroj Farewell to Matyora, 1976. In the second part of the paper are proposed some thematic parallels with old charakters’ images present in the short stories Vasilij i Vasilisa Vasili and Vasilissa, 1966 and Ženskij razgovor Women’s Dialogue, 1995, in which the psychological portraits and the atmosphere appear similar.O obrazie starości w twórczości Walentina Rasputina uwag kilkaW artykule omówiony został obraz starości w twórczości prozatorskiej Walentina Rasputina 1937–2015. Autorka udowadnia, że obraz ten zajmuje ważne miejsce w świecie przedstawionym wykreowanym przez syberyjskiego pisarza. To właśnie ciągłość i stała obecność tego motywu w utworach Rasputina umożliwia analizę różnorodnych aspektów i odcieni znaczeniowych starości. Stworzone przez pisarza postaci starych ludzi rozpatrywane i analizowane są w ich stosunku do przyrody syberyjskiej oraz chronotopu, w którym są umiejscowione. W centrum działań analitycznych autorki artykułu znajduje się charakterystyka duchowa i psychologiczna starych ludzi, przedstawionych przez Rasputina w utworach Последний срок W ostatnią godzinę, 1970 i Прощание с Матерой Pożegnanie z Matiorą, 1976. Przeprowadzone zostały także paralele z opowiadaniami Василий и Василиса Wasilij i Wasilisa, 1966 oraz Женский разговор Kobieca rozmowa, 1995.