Obhi Hardeep K, Margrett Jennifer A, Su Yan, Francis Sarah L, Lee Young-A, Schmidt-Crawford Denise A, Franke Warren D
Human Development and Family Studies and Gerontology program, Iowa State University , Ames , Iowa USA.
Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University , Ames , Iowa USA.
Gerontol Geriatr Educ. 2019 Oct-Dec;40(4):449-467. doi: 10.1080/02701960.2017.1373348. Epub 2017 Sep 21.
A knowledgeable workforce is key to meeting the demands of an aging population that is expected to nearly triple by 2030 and their attitudes influence propensity to seek aging-related careers. Postsecondary education offers an opportunity to increase aging-related knowledge and facilitates intergenerational experiential-learning opportunities; however, research is lacking regarding attitudes toward aging and experiences among an academically diverse sample. To address this gap, the aims of this study were to (1) examine differences in students' attitudes toward older adults by academic college, (2) assess differences in aging-related coursework and course experiences by academic college, and (3) explore key factors associated with students' attitudes toward older adults. Online survey methodology was used with a sample of 816 undergraduate students from a single university who represented all academic colleges offering undergraduate degrees. Significant differences among students' attitudes toward older adults by academic college were noted: those enrolled in the College of Human Sciences reported better stereotype, separation, and affective attitudes. Furthermore, factors associated with students' aging-related attitudes were sex, affiliation with academic college, perception of "old," contact frequency, and desire to learn aging-related content. The authors suggest interdisciplinary and disciplinary-specific educational recommendations to improve students' attitudes toward older adults.
拥有知识渊博的劳动力是满足老龄化人口需求的关键，预计到2030年老龄化人口将增长近两倍，而且他们的态度会影响从事与老龄化相关职业的倾向。高等教育提供了一个增加与老龄化相关知识的机会，并促进代际体验式学习机会；然而，对于不同学术背景样本中对老龄化的态度和经历的研究还很缺乏。为了填补这一空白，本研究的目的是：（1）按学院类别检查学生对老年人态度的差异；（2）评估按学院类别划分的与老龄化相关课程作业和课程体验的差异；（3）探索与学生对老年人态度相关的关键因素。采用在线调查方法，对一所大学的816名本科生进行了抽样，这些学生代表了所有提供本科学位的学院。按学院类别，学生对老年人的态度存在显著差异：人文科学学院的学生表现出更好的刻板印象、距离感和情感态度。此外，与学生老龄化相关态度相关的因素包括性别、学院归属、对“老年人”的认知、接触频率以及学习老龄化相关内容的愿望。作者提出了跨学科和特定学科的教育建议，以改善学生对老年人的态度。
