TY - JOUR
T1 - Older adults’ active involvement in an undergraduate program in gerontology: Motives and meaning
AU - Sliepenbeek, Marjan
AU - Smits, Carolien
AU - Spelt, Elisabeth J.H.
AU - Jukema, Jan S.
PY - 2019/9/23
Y1 - 2019/9/23
N2 - Two Dutch undergraduate programs in applied gerontology have teamed up with older volunteers to educate students in collaborating with older adults in the field of age-friendly service development. The research question of this study was: What are the motives and meanings of the older volunteers concerning their participation in an undergraduate program? An explorative descriptive qualitative design was used to study the motives and meanings of the older volunteers through semi-structured interviews (n = 11) and a focus group interview (n = 4). Two themes and nine categories emerged: (1) Personal norms and values (categories: responsible life attitude, contribution, self-determination), (2) Personal gain (categories: intergenerational education, personal development, staying healthy, pleasure, feeling appreciated, feeling connected). Personal norms and values and personal gains are meaningful to older volunteers in applied gerontology education. Universities should respect these when designing measures for improving participation methods.
AB - Two Dutch undergraduate programs in applied gerontology have teamed up with older volunteers to educate students in collaborating with older adults in the field of age-friendly service development. The research question of this study was: What are the motives and meanings of the older volunteers concerning their participation in an undergraduate program? An explorative descriptive qualitative design was used to study the motives and meanings of the older volunteers through semi-structured interviews (n = 11) and a focus group interview (n = 4). Two themes and nine categories emerged: (1) Personal norms and values (categories: responsible life attitude, contribution, self-determination), (2) Personal gain (categories: intergenerational education, personal development, staying healthy, pleasure, feeling appreciated, feeling connected). Personal norms and values and personal gains are meaningful to older volunteers in applied gerontology education. Universities should respect these when designing measures for improving participation methods.
KW - cocreation
KW - Gerontological competences
KW - older adults
KW - undergraduate education
KW - volunteers
U2 - 10.1080/02701960.2019.1669588
DO - 10.1080/02701960.2019.1669588
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85070522155
JO - Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
JF - Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
SN - 0270-1960
ER -