CRITICAL GERONTOLOGY AND EDUCATION FOR OLDER ADULTS

Complementary meanings of educational gerontology are considered to introduce a discussion of the role of “critical gerontology” as a theoretical stance in education for older adults. The sources of critical gerontology are traced to the movement toward interpretive social science in the past decade and to the interdisciplinary dynamics of gerontology as an emerging field of inquiry and practice. Examples of the intentions and uses of critical gerontology and its meaning for education are offered in accounts of the history of the social construction and of wisdom and religion in the postmodern life course.     

NEW ROLES AND NORMS FOR OLDER ADULTS THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION

A growing number of older adults develop new roles and identities in their retirement years. They may be trend‐setters in creating new norms for future generations of retirees. Research conducted by the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at the University of North Carolina at Asheville on middle‐class, well‐educated retirees with professional or managerial prior work roles indicates that these retirees want volunteer, leadership, and learning opportunities. A study of 101 alumni of the center's leadership for seniors program showed how institutions of higher education can play a prominent part in facilitating the development of roles and norms that often transcend the general public's ideas of what retirees can do and contribute.     

MOTIVATIONS FOR LEARNING AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN A LEARNING IN RETIREMENT INSTITUTE

As the population of older adults increases, the field of adult education needs to respond accordingly. The study reported in this paper examined motivations for learning among older adults actively engaged in formal lifelong learning. One hundred eighty-nine members of a Learning in Retirement institute were surveyed using Boshier's Education Participation Scale. Cognitive interest appeared to be the strongest motivator for learning. Social contact was the second most influential motivator. The findings of this study are consistent with, and add to, our knowledge derived from previous studies pertaining to the participation of older adults in formal learning. Recommendations for future research on older adult learning in different settings are presented.     

PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF STRESS AND INTELLECTUAL PERFORMANCE AMONG ANXIOUS OLDER ADULTS

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance in older adults. We asked 27 older adults, self‐selected on the basis of their concerns about decrements in intellectual functioning, to perform a series of cognitive tasks to assess crystallized (Gc) and fluid (Gf) intellectual abilities. Volunteers also completed questionnaires concerning their beliefs about their task performance specific to each ability, as well as measures of both generalized and intellectual self‐efficacy, everyday cognitive failures, and concerns about illness and aging. Cortisol was measured as an indicator of anxiety and Epstein‐Barr virus levels were assessed to determine nonspecific physiological changes. Results indicated that in the self‐selected “anxious” sample, there was a significant negative correlation between cortisol and self‐efficacy related to the most difficult measure of Gf. The only other significant (negative) correlation was between cortisol and generalized self‐efficacy. As expected, EBV levels were not correlated with any of the performance or self‐efficacy measures taken. Possible explanations of these findings are discussed as they relate to varying levels of performance and concerns about the loss of skills among older adults.     

METACOMPREHENSION KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION OF EXPOSITORY AND NARRATIVE TEXTS AMONG YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS

In the present study we investigated the relations between younger and older adults' metacomprehension knowledge and their comprehension of expository and narrative texts as well as their self-perceptions of comprehension evaluation ability. We employed the Metacomprehension Scale (MCS) designed by Moore, Zabrucky, and Commander (1997a) to assess readers' metacomprehension knowledge; adults' self-perceived comprehension evaluation ability was measured using a Likert scale. Results indicate that metacomprehension knowledge as measured by the MCS was a reliable predictor of comprehension performance and self-perceptions of comprehension evaluation ability in younger and older adults. However, younger and older adults' comprehension was best predicted by different components of metacomprehension knowledge, and metacomprehension knowledge better predicted comprehension of expository than narrative texts.     

METACOMPREHENSION AND COMPREHENSION PERFORMANCE IN YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS

On the basis of metamemory assessment research and theories of discourse comprehension, the Metacomprehension Scale (MCS) was designed to assess multiple dimensions of metacomprehension. In a sample of younger (n = 30) and older (n = 30) adults, we examined age differences in self‐assessed components of metacomprehension and the relation of the MCS to comprehension performance and general verbal ability. Younger adults reported greater use of strategies to resolve comprehension failures (i.e., regulation) and placed higher value on good comprehension skills than older adults. The MCS revealed a substantial amount of variance in comprehension performance and verbal ability, with the regulation dimension of metacomprehension being a reliable and consistent predictor of performance. The results provided support for domain‐specific assessment of metacognition and for the critical role of regulation in comprehension performance.     

INTERNET USE AMONG YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS: RELATION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

Past research found a negative impact of Internet use on psychological well-being of young adults. This finding conflicted with the emerging literature on Internet use among older adults, which usually suggested positive effects. The goals of the current research were a) to examine age differences in psychological well-being, b) to study the impact of Internet use on psychological well-being of young and older adults, and c) to explore group differences between older Internet users and nonusers of psychological well-being and personal characteristics. Three hundred and ninety-six young and older adults completed a survey on internet use and psychological well-being. Young and older adults were found to differ on dimensions of psychological well-being. In addition, older Internet users were more positive than non-users concerning psychological well-being and personal characteristics.     

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF OLDER ADULTS: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

This article presents a number of historical themes that are relevant to emerging efforts in the religious education of older adults. Drawing on themes in Jewish, Christian, Confucian, and other world religions the author indicates that religious bodies have shown respect for the elderly, especially for their abilities as teachers and counselors. Older adults have pursued learning either by living in close connection with religious communities or in separate institutions under the sponsorship of religious bodies. Religious traditions have urged study and contemplation as suitable activities for their older members. The increased numbers of older adults in religious bodies is a problem that can be turned into educational challenge and opportunity.     

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER RETRAINING IN OLDER ADULTS

Recent research on the cognitive development and functioning of older adults is reviewed and explored in relation to vocational retraining. It is argued that an ecological approach to the study of cognitive development in older adults is preferable, based on the life‐phase, hierarchical‐stage and cognitive functioning literatures. The relevance of this literature for career development in older adults is considered and suggestions for future research are offered. In particular, it is proposed that retraining programs designed to facilitate the career adaptability and success of older persons should attempt to increase their cognitive complexity and flexibility.     

FAITH DEVELOPMENT IN OLDER ADULTS

This paper has two purposes: (1) To introduce the faith development paradigm of James Fowler and (2) to review a research project in which that paradigm was applied to older adults. Four hypotheses related to “normal” aging were examined in the research project, and no broad‐based support was found for any of the hypotheses. Agesense, a new variable studied in the project, is defined as the degree to which older persons were subjectively aware of changes in general, as they progressed through the periods of late‐middle age and old age. The subjects' agesense ratings were very closely related to their levels of faith development. Questions for further faith development research are included in this article.     

SERVICE LEARNING AND OLDER ADULTS

Youth and older adults are the most valuable sources of community volunteerism in the United States today. An important part of involving youth in service to others has been the proliferation and sophistication of service-learning programs that provide opportunities for meaningful engagement and reflection. Increasingly, service learning is recognized as an integral part of both community involvement and education, and youth are provided with growing opportunities to combine practice and knowledge. As this movement has developed, however, older adult volunteers have been largely excluded. Despite theory and observation that demonstrates older adults' desire to stay engaged in learning and service, programs providing them with structured opportunities are rare. After outlining the development and expansion of service-learning programs for youth in the United States, this paper asks the question, ''Why not service learning for elders?'' analyzes some of the potential benefits of institutionalizing such an approach, and highlights promising efforts in the field.     

PERSPECTIVES ON OLDER ADULTS IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORTS

Older Canadian adults are showing increasing interest in physical activity participation as evidenced by the appearance of masters’ levels in sport clubs and the proliferation of seniors programs in a wide variety of settings. Thousands of seniors are participating in Seniors’ Games competitions across Canada, and in this late‐life pursuit of excellence, they seek quality instructional help and supervision. There has been increasing demand for instructors for the older age groups. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to instructional issues by the various professional groups most likely to be involved with seniors. This paper addresses the problems and challenges facing prospective leaders and educators of the older adult in physical training and acknowledges the pitfalls of exercise leaders who are inexperienced in dealing with aging adults. Citing real‐life experiences and observations across a number of high‐performance and vigorous exercise settings, this article illuminates some of the difficulties facing both physical educators and older adults and confirms the idea that educational gerontology is often a matter of mutual learning. Overall, a problem of everyone underestimating the potential for learning in the later years, particularly with respect to physical learning, is likely to reinforce stereotypes of frailty as a natural outcome of aging processes.     

EDUCATION FOR OLDER ADULTS: OUT OF THE COLLEGE AND INTO THE COMMUNITY

On investigation of Union College, a two‐year college in New Jersey, it was discovered that senior citizens failed to take advantage of free college classes, for deep‐seated psychological as well as logistical reasons. In 1979, the college launched a program of bringing classes to older Americans in their own settings (Y's, churches, senior housing complexes, etc.) in subjects and at times of their own choosing. Clearly meeting a great need, the program expanded until it reached nearly 600 students in 25 classes. Success is in large part due to the work of skilled, compassionate teachers. An ongoing teacher‐training regime with emphasis on gerontology keeps them abreast of new techniques and ensures a continuing exchange of ideas. In the course of this training, it has become evident that much remains to be learned about education and the older adult. As a consequence, a joint research project of Union College and the Rutgers University Institute of Aging has been planned, with the Union College classes serving as a field test of the program and more generally of the impact of education on older Americans.     

通识教育与跨专业学习

通识教育是一个历史的概念,内容丰富而模糊。本文勾勒了通识教育在德国的历史演变过程,重点对通识教育的内涵进行了区分与分析,指出"关键技能"和"学术工作技能"是通识教育的核心,并重点讨论了培养学生这两种能力的相关条件。     

USING ADVANCE ORGANIZERS TO FACILITATE READING COMPREHENSION AMONG OLDER ADULTS

The following study investigated the effectiveness of comprehension preadjunct questions as a learning strategy for older adults in a classroom setting. Preadjunct questions are questions presented at the beginning of the to‐be‐learned material to guide what is learned and to increase the likelihood that learners will correctly answer criterion test questions. Fifty‐five adults from 55 to 70 years of age were randomly assigned to two groups: the preadjunct question group and a no‐question control group. The groups viewed a video on high blood pressure and completed a recall posttest immediately after viewing the video and 7 days later. Results demonstrated that there was no significant difference between groups. However, the no‐question control group obtained a higher mean score on both the immediate and delayed recall tests than did the preadjunct question group. Results were explained in terms of resource theory of cognitive aging. If educators plan to use preadjunct questions when teaching older adults, they are advised to build opportunities for training and practice into their teaching plans.     

HOW IS EDUCATION POSSIBLE? PRAGMATISM, COMMUNICATION AND THE SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF EDUCATION

ABSTRACT:  Education cannot mean that the young are the product of the activities of their teachers. At the same time, we do not speak of education if students would simply learn something irrespective of the ac­tivities of their teachers. In this paper we focus on the question: How is education possible? Our aim is to contribute to a social theory of education, a theory that does not reduce our understanding of educational processes and practices to underlying 'constituting elements' but rather tries to understand the social nature of education as a reality sui generis.