Oral Histories and Service Learning to Promote Geriatric Competence, Comfort, and Career Interest

Abstract

Gathering oral histories allows BSW students to learn and apply person-centered care principles through individualized social engagement with older adults. Thirty-three undergraduates enrolled in generalist practice took part in a semester long service-learning project gathering oral histories of older adults. A mixedmethods pre/post quasi-experimental design with a comparison group of BSW students engaged in service-learning in other settings evaluated the effects on student attainment of geriatric social work competencies, comfort engaging with older adults, and career interest. Relative to the comparison group, oral history students demonstrated statistically significant gains in values, assessment, intervention, and aging services geriatric competence. Competence related to values had the strongest effect size. Student comfort with older adults and career interest did not change. Although analysis of students’ critical reflections indicated that learning to communicate with cognitively impaired older adults was challenging, findings suggest that participant understanding of the aging process expanded.