Paper: Incorporating Service-Learning into the Gerontology Curriculum: An Eye-Opening Experience of Meeting Real Elder (Sigma Theta Tau International's 21st International Nursing Research Congress)

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Shu-Yuan Chao, BS, MEd, DNSc
Nursing Department, Hungkung University, Sha-Lu, Taichung County, Taiwan
Hsing-Yuan Liu, MS, PhD, RN
School of Nursing, Chang-Gung Institute of Technology, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: know how to use an experiential pedagogy that involves students in learning outside the traditional classroom while providing the needed service in the community.

Learning Objective 2: the effect of positive changes in student's attitude tward the elderly based on the cultural identity.

Incorporating Service-Learning into The Gerontology Curriculum: An Eye-Opening Experience of Meeting Real Elder This research adopted a qualitative approach to study the learning experiences of health professional students after they participate in an interdisciplinary community-based healthcare course. This article provides an overview of intergenerational service-learning, an experiential pedagogy that involves students in learning outside the traditional classroom while providing the needed service in the community. Examples of intergenerational service-learning projects presented in this article have been successfully utilized by the authors. These projects demonstrate the importance of using reflective practice assignments to help students deconstruct and reconstruct images, beliefs and paradigms about older adults. These effects are reported as: an eye-opening experience of meeting real elder. The process involves positive changes in attitude of one generation toward another and reduction of stereotypical views towards elder people on the basis of age and cultural identity. Five central themes were identified as the students engaged in learning experiences at various community sites: (1) reducing negative stereotypes; (2) improving their ability in communicating with the elderly; (3); increasing their concern for society; (4) increasing their ability to solve problems; and (5) realizing the value of health professional. Interpretations of these findings and recommendations for future research are presented.

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