THE IMPACT OF AN INTERGENERATIONAL COURSE ON THE EXPECTATIONS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ABOUT AGING

Abstract

Intergenerational education (IGE) is an approach which aims to engage people of different ages in a mutually beneficial learning process. Newcastle University Aging Generations Education (NUAGE) is an intergenerational course for undergraduate students from any academic discipline that brings them together with older members of the public to collaborate in learning about aging in modern society. This study aimed to measure the impact of participation in NUAGE on students’ expectations about aging. The Expectations Regarding Aging Survey (ERA) is a validated tool that was originally designed to examine the relationship between older adults’ perceptions of aging and their health behaviors. Subsequently the ERA has been applied to different populations, including younger adults, to measure change in perceptions following an intervention. Students participating in two iterations of the module (2017 and 2018) were invited to complete the ERA prior to and at the end of the course. To allow anonymous responses, pre- and post-test scores were not matched and were compared using Mann-Whitney-U. 59 students completed the ERA prior to the course and 56 afterwards. There was a significant (p<0.001) increase in median ERA score following participation in the module, suggesting that students were more optimistic about how aging might affect them in future. One explanation is that contact with active older adults may alter students’ existing views about aging. Ongoing qualitative analysis of students’ reflective essays may help to confirm the reasons underlying the change. The NUAGE module offers further evidence of the impact of IGE.