| Abstract: | Previous research has indicated that (1) older adults are predisposed to reflect on the meaning and integrity of their lives, (2) few legitimate opportunities to reminisce are available to the elderly, and (3) oral history has been used successfully as a teaching method with young students who worked with the elderly. The oral histories of 13 residents of a Veterans Administration Hospital nursing home care unit were collected by 11 members of the staff. The histories were reviewed by teachers and were used to establish the content of two experimental courses that were open only to residents who had been interviewed. At the conclusion of the classes, data were collected from attendance records and from the teachers, members of the staff, and friends and relatives of the residents. The data were used to assess the impact of the project on the residents and on the staff. The implications of the study for teachers and administrators and for educational researchers are discussed. |
