Changing Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly: The Longitudinal Effects of an Intergenerational Partners Program

This article explores the longitudinal impact of an age-integrated program designed to bring the young and old closer together. The project paired 24 fourth-graders with 24 elderly volunteers from a senior citizens center, and involved a number of shared interdisciplinary activities over a 9-month school year. For comparative purposes, these students were matched by grade with a control group (n = 25). Using the Children's Perception of Aging and Elderly inventory and a semantic differential, posttest scores indicated the experimental group to have significantly more positive attitudes toward the elderly than the control group. Results from both a 1-year and 5-year follow-up produced similar differences between the experimental and control groups. To further support the long-term impact of the Intergenerational Partners Project, qualitative statements by this sample reveal a very positive attitude toward their own aging, as well as the impact of the project on their lives. Implications and further recommendations for intergenerational programming are identified.