Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Ageism is an issue of global concern (Chang et al., 2020), and given its damaging impacts, it is crucial for institutions to work to improve younger adults' negative attitudes toward older people. Research has shown that education about aging can support the development of age-consciousness in students - i.e., a deeper understanding of the aging process, a reduction in and increased awareness of ageism, and an enhanced personal connection with aging (Russell et al., 2022). However, there are not yet any studies that explore the role of intergenerational connectivity, in the development of age-consciousness. To address these gaps and build upon the novel age-conscious student concept, the aims of my master's thesis are two-fold: (1) to evaluate participants' experiences in an intergenerational classroom pilot and (2) to explore the impacts of intergenerational connectivity on age-conscious development in students and classroom volunteers. Intergenerational focus groups will provide rich insight into participants' experiences with the classroom pilot, and individual interviews will explore the role of intergenerational connectivity in age-conscious development. This project will contribute to understanding of intergenerational connectivity at the institutional level while providing students and classroom volunteers with valuable intergenerational experiences. This project will also add to the scholarly understanding of age-consciousness and provide research that will lead to the development of future intergenerational classrooms while addressing the larger-scale issue of ageism.