Teaching the Ethnography of Aging

Abstract

This paper discusses the opportunities for student directed research within a service-learning framework. Using a community development framework, students at the high school, college, and graduate levels gained a deeper understanding of the daily experiences of older persons in the community. These projects were embedded in a multi-year community development process fostered by the Evergreen Institute on Elder Environments, in Bloomington, Indiana. Through the collaborations of the Institute, the learning outcomes for students have contributed to the broader community effort to make Bloomington a good place to grow old. This paper describes a series of student-directed research activities in a service-learning environment designed to help students achieve a deeper understanding of the daily experiences of older persons in the community. These projects were embedded in a multi-year community development process fostered by the Evergreen Institute on Elder Environments in Bloomington, Indiana. Through the collaborations of the Institute, the learning outcomes for students have contributed to the broader community effort to make Bloomington a good place to grow old.The paper begins with an analysis of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the community development effort, arguing for a collaborative and participative model of applied research. The second section provides a brief overview of the Evergreen Project in order to illuminate the context in which student service-learning activities

Developing empathy towards older adults in design

“…Descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses were used to analyze student answers to structured and open-ended questions. The study findings support earlier research results that facilitating exposure to the lived experience of older adults (Chonody, 2015;Knapp & Stubblefield, 2000;Laver, 2006;Marken, Moxley, & Fralwy, 2011;Ortiz et al, 2012;Stafford, 2001) and encouraging student immersion in art-based methods (Aditomo, Goodyear, Bliuc, & Ellis, 2011;Campbell & McDonagh, 2009;Lee, 2009Lee, , 2012) have a positive impact on the development of their knowledge and attitude. Moreover, the findings reveal that students found the experiential aspect of the process as positive and displayed motivation and enjoyment.…”

“…Thus, many studies reveal that interaction with older adults enables students to better understand their lives and experiences (Ortiz, Cross, & Day, 2012). Various exposure strategies include: older adults participating in a course interacting with younger adults (Knapp & Stubblefield, 2000;Ortiz et al, 2012); creating partnerships with students and elders through special programs (Lu, Hoffman, Hosokawa, Gray, & Zweig, 2010); encouraging undergraduate students to assume a range of responsibilities in research projects regarding aging (Laver, 2006); conducting interviews with elders in their homes (Stafford, 2001) and students carrying out participant observation in health or human service settings (Hughes & Heycox, 2008).…”