Research

AARP/CUA Study

Research has shown that many young people, including very young children, have strong negative attitudes about aging and older people. A study conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the Center for Understanding Aging (CUA) in 1993, for example, revealed that children see older adults as stereotypes and not as individuals. While there are many factors contributing to these perceptions, what children read or hear affects how they view older people.

The AARP/CUA study revealed that older people are often portrayed as unhealthy, ugly, eccentric, passive, and dependent on others. The study involved 423 students, ages 6 to 11, from two racially and socioeconomically diverse schools in two states. The children were asked to draw pictures of an old person and a young person, and then asked to explain their pictures.

Research Findings

• Children who drew older people they knew, such as a grandparent, were more likely to portray the older person in a positive way.
• Drawings of older people the children did not know often included negative stereotypes associated with disabilities.
• There was a higher frequency of negative features and unhappy expressions in boys' drawings vs. girls' drawings.
• Older children (ages 9 through 11) were more negative about old age than younger children (ages 6 through 8). Older children drew people they did not know more frequently than younger
• children.

Implications

The way children view old age can affect the way they view older adults and their own aging. Like racism and sexism, ageism appears in subtle ways and reflects patterns of thought that are entrenched in the culture. K-12 aging education can help children develop:

• more balanced views of aging,
• healthier lifestyle choices for longer, more productive lives,
• non-ageist attitudes, and positive relationships with older adults.

National Academy for Teaching and Learning about Aging: Teachers’ Survey Summary

The National Academy for Teaching and Learning about Aging (NATLA) at the University of North Texas conducted a survey in Spring 1998 to determine the extent to which public school teachers include aging information in their curricula. A one-page questionnaire was distributed to public school teachers in Independent School Districts in two Texas cities, Denton and San Angelo. Of the 2100 questionnaires disseminated, 685 were returned. Respondents represented all grade levels (K-12). Select findings are listed below.

Of the 685 teachers who responded:

• 3.2 % had taken at least one gerontology course during their formal education
• 42.2 % gained gerontology knowledge through personal reading and/or experience
• 48.3 % had no knowledge or experience about gerontology or aging issues
• 32.7 % say they include information about aging in the classes they teach
• 2.9 % discuss public policy and aging in their classrooms
• 3.5 % teach about intergenerational issues
• 4.0 % teach about aging demographics
• 5.8 % discuss elder caregiving issues in their classrooms
• 7.5 % teach about age discrimination
• 8.3 % review the economics of aging in their classrooms
• 9.3 % teach about aging stereotypes
• 10.4 % teach about the physiological changes of aging
• 12.1 % address lifespan development in the classes they teach
• 15.2 % teach about multigenerational families
• 15.5 % discuss health and wellness in later life
• 13.4 % of the teachers spend less than 1 hour covering aging-related issues
• 11.7 % of the teachers spend 1 to 3 hours covering aging-related issues
• 4.0 % of the teachers spend 3 to 6 hours covering aging-related issues
• 3.5 % of the teachers spend more than 6 hours covering aging-related issues

The teachers identified the need for the following resources to help them include aging topics in their curricula:

• 57.5 % want curriculum guides and lesson plans
• 53.0 % want video/audio cassettes
• 53.0 % want experiential activities and ideas
• 27.4 % want facilitated discussion guides
• 23.8 % want topical publications
• 22.2 % want Internet accessible materials

Texas Department on Aging and Disability Services - Statistics and Demographics

Preparing a lesson plan? Looking for background information on demographic trends affecting older people's lives, or the performance of government agencies that serve them? The statistics and demographics link contains a status report on senior Texans today and pointers to other agencies that keep similar data.  (Provided by the Texas Department on Aging).

Aging Texas Well

The Texas Department on Aging and Disability Services, in partnership with many public and private sector organizations, is leading a statewide campaign called Aging Texas Well (ATW).   ATW, endorsed by the Texas legislature, is a bold, long-range drive to influence individual attitudes and future public and private decisions and policies that address the challenges of an older population.  ATW provides information to help you develop a holistic approach to planning and assuming more responsibility for your future.  ATW develops state policy recommendations to make sure government is ready for the demographic wave created by our state's aging population.