Research Project 2 Old People at College

Santrock reports in Chapter 20 that more older adults than ever before are going to college. He indicates that college performance among these individuals is related to intelligence and information processing skills, but is only able to speculate on the variety⁷ of reasons older people go to college.

Are there elderly adults attending your college? If there are, why are they there? Try to answer these questions for this project.

First, find out how many elderly people attend your school. This information should be available from the registrar. After you (or your instructor) obtains institutional approval, contact four or more of these people and invite them to participate in a project in which you learn their reasons for attending college.

You may choose any method you like to discover their reasons, but one possibility is to have your respondents rate reasons suggested by Santrock in Chapter 20. For example, you could prepare a brief questionnaire in which people indicate how strongly they agree that they are attending college for a specified reason. Have people use a seven-point rating scale (1 = most strongly disagree, 7 = most strongly agree) to express their agreement with the statements listed below. An alternative (or additional) approach would be to have people answer one or two open-ended questions that you put to them in an interview (e.g., "Why are you going to college?").

Whatever method you use, write a brief paper that summarizes your findings. If you have used a questionnaire, construct an appropriate table to show average (mean) ratings. If you have relied exclusively on interviews, report any common themes in individual's responses. If you have done both, be sure to indicate how well the findings from both methods support each other as well as summarizing what they uncover, Discuss your findings in terms of the issues raised by Santrock in Chapter 20.

Sample Questionnaire Items "Why I am Going to College"

1. I want to understand aging better.

2. I want to understand the social changes that have so changed my life.

3. I want to understand the technical changes that have so changed my life.

4. I want to obtain knowledge I need to meet societal demands I now experience.

5. I want to obtain skills I need to meet societal demands I now experience.

6. I need new knowledge to stay competitive at my job.

7. I need new skills to stay competitive at my job.

8. I need to learn a new job.

9. I want to learn more about myself.

10. I want to learn leisure activities for retirement.

Chapter 21

Research Project 1 Experiencing Others’ Deaths

Commentators have observed that Americans have remarkably little direct experience of death compared to other people of other nations. Most Americans die in hospitals. But is this true? This project will give you information about the nature and extent or your own and your peers experience of death.

Have at least five of your peers answer the questions below. You may have them respond in writing or speak their answers in an interview (if the latter, be sure you are prepared to record their answers). In either case, be sure to allow up to an hour for each person to respond. Of course, you will need institutional approval and your respondents’ informed consent to carry out your project.

Summarize your findings by constructing an appropriate table or tables showing how people responded to the questions you asked. Then write a brief report in which you at least indicate the purpose of your project, describe the people who participated, summarize your results, and draw appropriate conclusions about your peers' experience of death. Try also to indicate whether what you learn illustrates points made in your textbook.

Questions about Experiencing Others' Deaths

1. Has anyone you have known died? How many people?

(Note: You will want to ask the following questions about each person your respond eat has known.)

2. Who was the person in relation to you (e.g., brother? Aunt? Friend?)?

3. How and where did the person die?

4. Were you present at the time of death? What was your reaction?

5. If you were not present at the time of death, how did you react when you learned of the death?

6. Did you view the body of the dead person at some time after death (e.g., at a funeral home?) What was your reaction to seeing the body?

7. How involved were you in taking care of practical matters concerning the deceased?

8. How involved were you in mourning the deceased?

How involved were you in caring for other people who were mourning the deceased?

8. For how long did the individual's death have a daily impact on you (e.g., thinking about the person every day)?

9. Have you worked through any concerns the persons death created for you?

10. Has it been difficult for you to answer these questions?