Changing Students' Perceptions of Aging: The Impact of an Intergenerational Service Learning Course

Ten individuals over the age of 55 were awarded scholarships in order to enroll in an intergenerational service learning course. Through class participation and community service activities, the traditional-age students and senior adult students shared experiences and learned about the processes of aging. A pretest-posttest design using a control group and experimental group (N = 44) was employed in order to assess the effectiveness of this pedagogical method. The results, both quantitative and qualitative, indicate that the course helped to create more realistic views of aging and foster more positive attitudes toward the elderly. Implications of the findings are discussed and include a recommendation for additional intergenerational programs that include senior adults in the classroom.