Educational Implications of Affiliation Factors Existent Among Members of Senior Centers

One hundred members, 60 years of age or older, of Seattle, Washington, senior citizen centers were interviewed for the purpose of determining educational implications of affiliation phenomenon. A modified semantic differential technique was used to determine the rank ordering of four affiliation factors. The results showed that members tend to affiliate with groups primarily to gather new information, second for stimulation, third for assistance, and fourth for self‐evaluation. The recommendations include the using of senior citizen centers as classroom environments for community colleges. Suggestions for further study call for an examination of how these factors would fit within the expressive/instrumental functions.