Psychosocial Rehabilitation Through Intervention by Second Language Acquisition in Older Adults

Abstract

The paper deals with a possibility of foreign language learning (FLL) intervention in older adults as a psychosocial rehabilitation method to improve the quality of life (QoL) in this age segment, i.e. the people who are over 55 years. FLL has been researched as a successful tool to maintain or even enhance cognitive functions in older age along with other intentional activities, such as engagement in any physical activity. FLL cannot dramatically improve memory and cognitive deterioration of older adults, however, it can improve QoL by increasing subjective happiness that is connected to improved wellbeing. The research was conducted in two groups of seniors who are engaged in FLL, specifically in the Czech Republic and Poland. The major premise of the research was based on the positive psychology concept, i.e., the subjective happiness leads to improved levels of QoL. Both groups consisted of about a hundred respondents whose opinions were researched by an online questionnaire. The major focus of this questionnaire was to evaluate the level of subjective happiness and then compare the results obtained from the respondents from these two geographically different regions. The findings clearly showed that those who had engaged in FLL had reached high levels of subjective happiness, therefore, their subjective wellbeing could be improved. These results might be important for psychosocial rehabilitation practices because they can create a framework for further non-pharmacological intervention to maintain healthy aging. FLL can thus be a very efficient tool for any psychosocial rehabilitation in older healthy adults who do not suffer from any cognitive pathological development but who are just experiencing negative side effects of natural aging process. The research into this topic is very scarce, and therefore, this paper could be an inspiration for further and larger-scale research.

Enhancing Foreign Language Learning Approaches to Promote Healthy Aging: A Systematic Review

“…The findings of this review indicate that learning a foreign language can bring several benefits to older people, such as subjective satisfaction (Klimova et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Pfenninger & Kliesch, 2023 ; Pikhart & Klimova, 2020 ; Pikhart et al, 2021 ), enhanced cognitive skills (Grossmann et al, 2023 ; Grossmann et al, 2021 ), and motivation why to study a foreign language (Pfenninger & Kliesch, 2023 ; Sandal et al, 2019 ). Similar findings were confirmed by other research studies.…”

“…Altogether nine studies were detected. Four articles of the eight selected originated in the Czech Republic (Klimova et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Pikhart & Klimova, 2020 ; Pikhart et al, 2021 ). The five remaining studies are from Austria, Germany, Ukraine, and the USA (Grossmann et al, 2023 ; Grossmann et al, 2021 ; Hertzog et al, 2020 ; Pfenninger & Kliesch, 2023 ; Sandal et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Most studies (Grossmann et al, 2021 ; Klimova et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Pfenninger & Kliesch, 2023 ; Pikhart & Klimova, 2020 ; Pikhart et al, 2021 ) used experimental groups, except for two studies (Grossmann et al, 2023 ; Hertzog et al, 2020 ; Sandal et al, 2019 ), which conducted controlled trials. In addition, three articles compared experimental groups between the Czech Republic and Poland (Klimova et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Pikhart et al, 2021 ). The outcome measures usually involved questionnaire surveys, statistical analysis, and study trials.…”

“…Moreover, one of the studies (Hertzog et al, 2020 ) showed that older adults manifested a lower region of proximal learning due to their lack of belief in their ability to learn. Furthermore, according to Klimova et al ( 2021a ) and Pikhart et al, ( 2021 ), there is a correlation between the level of education, age, the sexes, and the number of languages studied during the response to the perceived effects of a foreign language learning impact.…”

“…Both groups of learners aged 55 years and more Questionnaire survey, Statistical Analysis, t-Student test, and ANOVA test with post-hoc, the Spearman coefficient The results indicate that seniors’ positive learning outcomes and overall satisfaction are to some extent high when attending foreign language classes at an older age Teachers should take into consideration the student’s characteristics and traits and teach using, for example, drilling exercises, scaffolding, and providing materials in a visible font Klimova et al, ( 2021b ) Czech Republic To explore the positive effects that foreign language learning (FLL) might have on healthy older individuals Two experimental groups; participants aged from 55 to 80 or more years old, one from the Czech Republic, 92 participants, and another from Poland 100 participants Questionnaire Survey, Statistical Analysis, and Research Questions The results revealed four significant factors involving the positive effects of learning a foreign language. Therefore, it showed that FLL improves seniors’ subjective welfare and successful aging Learning a foreign language is a non-pharmacological method to maintain healthy and happy aging Pikhart et al, ( 2021 ) Czech Republic To evaluate and compare the positive effects of L2 acquisition in two different regions Two groups of older individuals from Poland and the Czech Republic, aged 55 + years old. The Czech sample consisted of 105 participants and the polish sample comprised 100 participants Questionnaire survey A senior’s quality of life might be significantly improved by learning a second language FLL can work as a psychosocial rehabilitation tool since it maintains healthy aging Pikhart and Klimova ( 2020 ) Czech Republic To investigate the level of satisfaction when taking a L2 course and its reflection on successful and active aging The experimental group consisted of 105 respondents from the Czech Republic with 55 and 80 + years old.…”