Gerontological Knowledge and Attitudes of Students of Religion

As society ages, the age profiles of religious congregants will also increase. Will students of religion have the necessary knowledge and normative orientations to work with the elderly? This article reports on a study that examined the perceptions, experiences and expectations of students of religion (N = 142) and their graduate counterparts (N = 216), by means of structured interviews. Rosencranz and McNevin's Aging Semantic Differential, Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz and original indices were used to operationalize the study variables. Results revealed more positive attitudes toward young than old people. Relatively low gerontological knowledge scores were realized as well as negative biases toward the aged. Positive correlations emerged between knowledge and attitudes toward older people as well as between knowledge and priority assigned to working with the aged. Positive attitudes were associated with an “increasing optimism” toward the years ahead. Study findings lead to curricula development recommendations for programs of study in institutions of pastoral instruction.