Explores the effectiveness of environmental education programs in terms of both student learning outcomes and the intergenerational influence that results when students discuss their learning experiences with their parents and other community members. Interviews n=284 students in Queensland schools from Grades 5-12 and their parents regarding…

Service-learning evaluation rarely compares different cohorts of students, so it is difficult to determine whether the findings are reliable. This study compared attitudinal change in five successive cohorts of intergenerational service-learning students (n =59) enrolled in an introductory gerontology course at a major Midwestern university.…

Reports on a program that brought together older adults (n=12) with dementia and preschool children (n=14) in one-on-one interactions, using Montessori activities. Experience indicates that older adults with dementia can still serve as effective mentors and teachers to children in an appropriately structured setting. (RJM)

Functions served by self-disclosure may vary depending upon the adults' gender and stage in the life span. Studies such issues in regard to the elderly, middle-aged, and young adults' use of four functions of self-disclosure: self-expression, self-clarification, social control, and social validation. Findings support the claim that greater…

The longitudinal impact of a family-based intervention on grandchildren of parents with HIV (PWH) is evaluated. Because PWH and their daughters demonstrated gains over 6 years when randomized to a coping skills intervention compared with a control condition, the adjustment of the PWH's grandchildren was also compared across conditions.…

Historically, when aging adults could no longer negotiate the difficulties of living alone, they faced either institutionalization or living with their children. Shared housing may be a viable third option for many aging homeowners. The University of Utah's Intermountain West Long Term Care Gerontology Center developed the Senior/Student Shared…

Compared the personal/social development of preschoolers in two intergenerational and two non-intergenerational settings. Found that children in intergenerational programs scored higher on the personal/social development scale of the Learning Accomplishment Profile than did children in non-intergenerational settings. (KB)

Pre/post-project data from 40 students who worked with 25 older workers on skill-building activities indicated that service learning improved their attitudes toward older workers. Preproject, both students and workers felt older workers would not be comfortable with technology. Students discovered that older workers are interested in and capable…

A theoretically informed model was estimated with the LISREL-VIII program using panel data from 1,384 mother-adolescent child pairs to examine processes by which mothers' adolescent school experiences measured in 1971 (Time 1) affected the adolescent school experiences of their children measured in the 1990s (Time 3) through mediating variables…

National service offers an appealing vehicle for engaging senior citizens to respond to unmet needs in education, health care, public safety, the environment, and other essential areas. Involving seniors in national service will help alleviate the country's pressing domestic problems, enhancing participants' personal development, and bolstering…

To determine the nature of camp for senior citizens, four participant observers (staff members) conducted open-ended interviews with campers at a five-day residential camp in Oregon. Results showed universal satisfaction with the camp experience. Campers valued the wide range of activities, comfortable places to socialize, and staff relations with…

Assessed the effectiveness of three techniques for changing college students' attitudes toward aging in a positive direction. Found direct experience with the elderly to be the most effective workshop technique. (Author/ABB)

Evaluated seven-day program incorporating discussion, dance, and song to bring children and older adults from the community together in sixth-grade unit on aging. Survey of 21 students following the program suggests that students began to perceive older participants in active rather than passive terms and that nature of program became more…

Presents and discusses the results of an exploratory study seeking to determine the effects of an intervention program on aging on children's perceptions of elderly persons. It was found that classroom interaction with older people and exposure to media with accurate information about aging positively changes preschoolers' attitudes toward aging.…

Evaluated effects of a nine-month project that paired fourth graders with elderly volunteers for a number of shared interdisciplinary activities. The Children's Perception of Aging and Elderly inventory posttest scores indicated the experimental group had significantly more positive attitudes toward the elderly than the control group. Results held…