College Students' Expectations of Grandparent and Grandchild Role Behaviors

Survey responses of 704 college students revealed that the majority of college students have at least one grandparent, and some have eight or more. Students identified degree of closeness with most close grandmother and grandfather. Students' perceptions of grandparent and grandchild roles were generally positive, indicating affection and respect for grandparents. This study is compared with Robertson's study of student attitudes from 12 years ago. Analyses of variance with gender, race, and family form as independent variables reveal differences on role attitudes among students from various backgrounds.