Studied the perceptions, expectations, and attitudes toward aging among students of religion and their graduate counterparts by means of structured interviews. Results revealed students had more positive attitudes toward young than old people, relatively low gerontological knowledge, and negative biases toward the aged. (RC)

Describes two exercises that convey the ways in which social biases influence adult development and aging: (1) involves sorting pictures of people by age illustrating the diversity of opinions about how to divide the life span; and (2) demonstrates how physical and social factors shape individual well-being in old age. (DSK)

The program upon which this paper is based, Developing an Aging Curriculum, was initiated as a pilot project to assess the appropriateness of introducing aging information and concepts to elementary-age students. Seventeen teachers in grades K-6 in one school district have been involved in the project as part of a graduate course. The project was…

Evaluated the impact of adding a brief unit on aging to the first-year curriculum of a school of osteopathic medicine. Analyses revealed a mild but significant improvement in knowledge and attitudes with respect to the elderly. Subjective responses to the program were very positive. (Author)

Future orientation has been proposed as contributing to unfavorable perceptions of older patients. Students from a dental hygiene program were questioned about their general attitudes toward older people, older people as patients, their own future, the future for older adults, and about their social/familial contact with the elderly. (Author/MLW)

Provides school counselors with resource materials for use in developing classroom guidance strategies to help students deal with attitudes toward aging. Describes use of classroom simulation activities and provides guidelines for selecting simulations and adapting commerical materials. Offers ideas for using a simulation of aging experience. (JAC)

Purpose: Sentence completion exercises require students to give open-ended responses to prompts. The first purpose of this article is to describe the method of sentence completion to assess middle-school children's attitudes and beliefs about aging. The second purpose is to describe the patterns of characteristics that children associate with…

Discusses the methods and findings of a study of associate degree nursing students' (N=48) knowledge and misconceptions about aging. Reports definite knowledge gaps and the acceptance of several common misconceptions about the elderly. (DMM)

The Ohio State College of Medicine began its Senior Partners Program (SPP) in 2001 as part of its commitment to integrate geriatric education throughout all four years of the medical curriculum. For participating senior partners and medical students, the SPP has signified a journey through a continuum of aging. Initial evaluations suggest that…

As the fastest-growing segment of society, older adults can be valuable resources for schools. The intent of this guide is to promote education for, with, and about older adults; to confront stereotypic images; and to present an accurate and balanced view of aging. The manual consists of 21 lesson plans for secondary teachers of health and home…

This evaluation study determined the extent to which teachers and students involved with the Teaching and Learning About Aging (TLA) project experienced cognitive growth and attitudinal change. The major purpose of the TLA project was to help students understand aging and related issues and to foster more positive attitudes toward aging and older…

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of three college courses on attitude change toward older adults. To measure attitude change the Kogan Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (1961) was administered to 221 college students at the beginning and end of the semester. Participants were enrolled in one of three college courses: Child…

This article describes a service-learning collaboration between a research center at a graduate school of social work and a community college. While the goal of the collaboration was to conduct a community needs assessment of the older population of Bermuda, the project offered a unique opportunity to connect community service, teaching, and…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether training with a multimedia tutorial would have an impact on LPN students' knowledge of dementia care, attitudes toward dementia care, and self-efficacy ratings. A total of 38 nursing students participated. Pre-post comparisons of outcome measures revealed significant improvements in knowledge,…

Suggests several ways that school counselors can introduce aging education to students. In 11 articles, the author deals with developmental aspects of aging, student attitudes, counseling techniques, death education, and the value of leisure. Suggests teaching techniques and information sources. (JAC)