Graduate education in gerontology has an essential role in providing the foundational knowledge required to work with a diverse aging population. It can also play an essential role in promoting best-practice approaches for the development of professional identity as a gerontologist. The primary goal of this study was to determine what factors…

Mezirow (1978) applied and used Transformative Learning Theoretical (TLT) processes while studying women who reentered academics during the 1970s. Similar to Mezirow's original 1975 work, we identify "factors that impeded or facilitated" participants' progress to obtain their undergraduate degree during the traditional student…

Describes an experience in developing teaching and learning content on aging and sexuality. Suggestions for a course outline and experiential learning for students and a summary of findings, which has implications for educators in gerontology, are included. (Author)

American society has been transforming itself from one in which older people were held in increasingly low esteem and characterized by a multiplicity of derogative stereotypes to one in which the roles and styles of life of older adults will be viewed as positive and contributive. (Author)

Four groups of well-functioning senior citizens (6 males and 18 females per group) over the age of 65 were presented with a series of discrimination-learning problems. All were provided four pretraining problems, appropriate to their individual condition, and encouraging self-pacing. Two levels of problem complexity (four-dimensional vs.…

The symposia were sponsored by the New England Gerontology Center, New England Center for Continuing Education, Durham, New Hampshire. The purpose of the symposia was to provide trainers and others involved in continuing education for the elderly an opportunity to become better acquainted with current developments in gerontology and to discuss…

These proceedings are intended for use by educators, trainers, and others with responsibility for developing short-term educational programs in the field of aging. The articles are practical tools containing a wealth of concepts and suggestions for designing conferences, workshops, and short courses on aging. The articles were developed or…

This article delineates a four-part educational framework including specific ways in which higher-learning institutions have a responsibility to the aged consumer, related educational systems, and service practitioners. It suggests that constructive use of the model could enhance the quality of life for the aging, and for the rest of society.…

The concepts of career and status passage reflect an imagery of humans capable of exercising choice and negotiating their way through life. Later life is seen as a unique status passage in that it is inevitable, irreversible, and does not lead to any subsequent status. Controlling the passage therefore assumes great importance. (Author)

These proceedings from the second conference on the Epidemiology of Aging sponsored by the National Institutes of Health indicate the direction of recent research and concern in this area. Attempts are made to formulate a definition of aging other than that of chronological age. A number of biomedical correlates of aging are addressed, including…

Family physicians may lack discriminatory ability to differentiate normal aging form disease states. To assess such ability, 53 aging-related indicators or symptoms were presented to 65 physicians in 3 family practice residency programs. Respondents classified each symptom as normal aging or disease. On average, residents classified 73.4% of…

The seven papers in this report were prepared as part of a project intended to open a dialogue between leaders of higher education and aging communities, and were originally developed as background material for an invitational meeting between these groups. The first three papers deal with broad issues in which both communities share an interest.…

The purpose of this study was to develop and content validate a Performance Rating Scale and Interview Protocol, enabling study of the social role performance of adult daughters and sons as they fulfill the societal norms and expectations of adult children. This exploratory investigation was one of 13 contemporary adult social roles completed by…

The four papers of this symposium on social psychology and gerontology are critically discussed: Babchuk on primary relations; Shaver on attribution theory; Marris on conservation and innovation; and Lieberman on adaptation. (Author)

Palmore's "Facts on Aging Quiz" is reconsidered in light of the results of over 500 administrations to health workers and health occupation students. An analysis of the data gathered suggests that the quiz has utility for three of the four purposes suggested by its creator. (Author)