grandma's a grump - research methods final report

GRANDMAS A GRUMP: STUDENT-ELDER RELATIONSHIPS 5

Grandmas A Grump! A Survey of Perceptions of College Student-Elder Relationships

Samantha Olewnik

Ithaca CollegeGrandmas A Grump! A Survey of Perceptions of College Student-Elder RelationshipsSamantha OlewnikAbstractThis study explored the relationships that exist between Ithaca College students and their grandparents, as well as their thoughts on elders in general. One hundred seventy-nine students were quantitatively surveyed concerning these matters. The correlation between time spent with ones grandparents and reported level of comfort while interacting with the elderly was examined, among thoughts on whether the elderly contribute to society. Students were also asked to identify specific stereotypes that they thought were appropriate to label most elderly people, as well as their own grandparents. Further, the concept of regarding ones relationship with ones grandparents as superior to/more special than ones peers relationships with their grandparents was explored. The findings reveal that most students think well of both their grandparents and the general elderly population, think elders contribute much to society, and are indifferent as to whether the relationship they have with their grandparents is better than other students relationships. The amount of time one spends with their grandparents every month was shown to significantly affect student feelings towards the elderly population as a whole.Introduction

This study aimed to explore if and how students perceptions of their relationships with their grandparents had any influence on their perceptions of aging and the elderly in general. The estimated hours per month that a student spends interacting with their grandparents and their perceptions of said grandparents related to the students perceptions of their own aging process and the general elderly population were specifically examined. My hypothesis was that the more time a student spends with their grandparents, the more comfortable they will be interacting with their grandparents and the elderly in general. I also hypothesized that the average student believes that the relationship they have with their grandparents is better than the relationships that other students have with their grandparents.

This research is significant because many student-aged individuals are uncomfortable interacting with elders (Mckenzie and Brown 2013,) yet think very highly of their grandparents (Boon and Brussoni 1998.) It has been found that students learn about the aging process through interactions with the elderly, and those who are more knowledgeable are less anxious about their own aging process (Ligon et al. 2014.) Further, our society is living longer than ever, prompting a necessity for young people to be comfortable with the possibility of interacting with elders daily throughout their professional lives (Mckenzie and Brown 2013.) It is possible to decrease a students anxiety about aging and simultaneously acclimate them to interacting with elders through the simple act of spending time with ones grandparents. Review of the LiteratureScholars have frequently been intrigued by college-aged students perceptions of the elderly (Boon and Brussoni 1998, Kalavar 2001, Leson et al. 2011, Ligon et al. 2014, Luo et al. 2013, Mckenzie and Brown 2013, Pike et al. 2013, Okoye and Obikeze 2005, Smith 2013, Yilmaz et al. 2012). The ever-graying population of Baby Boomers means that a young adult cannot expect to live their lives without interacting with elders; it is, in fact, guaranteed that they will have to engage with this population. Many students, however, self-proclaim their distaste for seniors, which is alarming considering the aforementioned. It is the knowledge of this discomfort that drove my desire to research student-grandparent relationships. If a student is fond of their grandparent but states that they dont like old people, why can they not see the paradox?

A number of studies attempt to pinpoint specific ageist stereotypes that students use to label the elderly using both quantitative survey and qualitative focus group/interview methods (Boon and Brussoni 1998, Okoye and Obikeze 2005, Yilmaz et al. 2012). A stereotype is defined as a set belief about the characteristics and attributes of a group that are applied indiscriminately to all its members (Zastrow 1993, as cited in Okoye and Obikeze 2005), while ageism refers to the various forms of discrimination that an elder may face simply because they are old. Aging is often seen as a negative thing that can arouse feelings of uneasiness in society about the aging process (Butler 1980, as cited in Okoye and Obikeze 2005). Prevalent ageist stereotypes among college-aged students include the belief that old people are always sickly, that elders usually behave like children, that they are conservative, and that they are out of touch with the realities of life today (Boon and Brussoni 1998, Okoye and Obikeze 2005).

Apart from the research regarding young peoples beliefs in ageist stereotypes, fewer studies exist that analyze the relationship between college-aged students and their grandparents (Harwood 2000, Reitzes and Mutran 2004, Ross et al. 2004). A proper analysis of a students ageist beliefs might benefit from analyzing their beliefs regarding the elders that they have relationships with, such as their grandparents.Lastly, research exploring the connection between how a student views their grandparent as opposed to non-familial elders in general is even rarer (Boon and Brussoni 1998). My study examines which ageist stereotypes seem to be the most widely believed by college students in relation to their grandparents and elders in general, and a comparison of the categories will be detailed herein.College-Aged Students and Ageism

What students believe:

Scholars in recent decades have become interested in finding valid means of gauging college-aged students attitudes (the ways in which they regard, classify, or think about other people or things) about aging and the elderly population amongst whom they live and interact (Kalavar 2001, Ligon et al. 2014). The development of quantitative survey tools such as the Fraboni Scale of Ageism has been a popular way to ascertain student thoughts on aging and the elderly. This tool uses a 4-point Likert scale system that allows students to gauge their attitudes on 29 statements, such as It is best that old people live where they wont bother anyone (Kalavar 2001). Scales such as this one can be integrated into the pursuit of a variety of research questions, and I used a 5-point Likert scale system throughout my own research tool. The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (Fraboni, Saltstone, and Hughes 1990, as cited in Kalavar 2001), for instance, has been distributed to students for completion before they are questioned on the topic of preferred age ranges in professions, a topic that might otherwise be dismissed as possibly ageist by some students if not for their completion of the ageism scale beforehand (Kalavar 2001). I gained inspiration for questions in my research tool from questions in the Fraboni Scale of Ageism, such as the idea that "the elderly do not contribute much to society.

Scholars also often combine previous survey tools to devise new ones, including The Older Adult and Aging Visual Analog Scales, or At-O-A, (Ligon et al. 2014). Parts of both the revised Fraboni Scale of Ageism (Rupp, Vodanovich, and Crede 2005 as cited in Ligon et al. 2014), and the Anxiety About Aging Scale (Lasher and Faulkender 1993 as cited in Ligon et al. 2014) were combined in the creation of the At-O-A. A selection of students from two different colleges were asked to make a vertical line on a horizontal line serving as a scale for how positively they viewed their attitudes regarding older adults and their own aging process (Ligon et al. 2014). While I did not intend to implement questions from the A-O-A in my research because of their specific design, I was inspired by this surveys resourcefulness in combining previous study approaches.

Aside from these tools for measuring attitudes, other researchers are interested in unearthing the specific labels that students use in reference to the elderly, exposing ageist attitudes in the process. Quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to pinpoint these labels. For example, questionnaires asking students to check off specific ageist stereotypes that they agree with and small, purposeful focus groups asking participants to reveal how they think about elders have both been used effectively (Luo et al. 2013, Okoye and Obikeze 2005, Yilmaz et al. 2012). Studies of this nature divulge specific trends within college-aged students thinking regarding ageism, allowing for more focused study on the best ways to address and hopefully redirect these thought patterns. By recording which ageist stereotypes are most widely believed at Ithaca College, I hope to advocate for specific programs to evolve within the courses that Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, helping to address and dispel the most frequently believed stereotypes among my peers.One fruitful study used focus groups to explore the attitudes of Nigerian youth towards the elderly (Okoye and Obikeze 2005). This research was conducted with participants aged 15-30, so while it is not exclusive to college-aged students opinions, the age range does cover the general age range of college students, making it applicable to my own research. This study found that the most widely believed ageist stereotype by youth in Nigeria to be that old people behave like children, followed by the assumption that old people are always sickly, that they are conservative, suspicious, and secretive, respectively. It was also discovered that participants were unsure as to whether or not elders were poor because they are lazy. Furthermore, the researchers converted the seven most reported stereotypes to a 3-point Likert type attitude scale to gauge the extent of participant ageism. It was found that every single participant (800 people) believed some sort of ageist stereotype or held a form of ageist prejudice (Okoye and Obikeze 2005). These results show that ageism and the confusion surrounding it exists in societies that are not considered to be afraid of aging. The culture of the United States tells us that aging and the elderly should be avoided, while we know other nations, like Japan, are reverent of their aged citizens. This study reveals that uneasiness with elders can exist anywhere in the world, and therefore needs to be addressed wholeheartedly.

Other stereotypes of this nature have been discovered through a combination of quantitative survey and qualitative focus group study (Luo et al. 2013). Although there were some mixed feelings among student participants from both American and Chinese universities, it was found that there is a prevalence of the notion that elders mainly contributed to society in the past and must now make way for newer generations and the growth of technology. It has also been found that young people often recognize ageist behavior (when it is written out for them in a survey) as discrimination, yet participate in it anyway (Yilmaz et al. 2012). Interestingly, the most frequently applied behavior of ageist activity by participants in this study was teasing elders who wear brightly colored clothing. The use of parts of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism, as well as my own questions influenced by the A-O-A scale, helped uncover specific IC student beliefs about the elderly, including whether they think the elderly still contribute to society. Confusion and anxiety in student-elder interaction:

Some scholars have documented that a students past exposure to elders (or lack thereof) can influence their comfort level in approaching interactions with the elderly population (Mckenzie and Brown 2013, Smith 2013). Even students who are preparing for professions in which they will be constantly interacting with the general public such as nursing or social work students often feel anxiety about relating to and connecting with older adults (Mckenzie and Brown 2013, Smith 2013).

The Relating to Older People Evaluation, (ROPE) (Cherry and Palmore 2008 as cited in Mckenzie and Brown 2013), has been used to measure the positive and negative attitudes of over 100 undergraduate nursing students in relation to older adults, yielding specific examples of what students find concerning about working with elders with dementia (Mckenzie and Brown 2013). The ROPE was distributed to participants through an online survey, and allowed for the collection of specific individual qualitative responses and data, revealing the areas in which further gerontological education needs to be provided. The major perceived barriers to working with older adults with dementia that were reported by student participants were emotional personal demands, patient communication barriers, and physical personal demands.

Furthermore, nerves surrounding a students confusion in the role that they are supposed to play while interacting with elders has been found to be a barrier to effective elder care (Smith 2013). Role confusion is defined as confusion about what to do with clients, or an inability to apply students classroom learning to their practice with older clients. Research has found that even those studying to receive their Master of Social Work do not always feel comfortable with elders, a skill that they will need to improve upon if they are going to be effectively helping more than a small bracket of the population. It was reported that students often had trouble with older clients because they were thrown off by the elders caregivers requests. For example, instead of the elder telling them what they wanted to do, sometimes staff prompted the students to help elders get involved in more activities outside of their room, and students were confused by the idea that sometimes a client wont always be able to speak for themselves. This reveals a major discrepancy between an elders quality of care and their potential caretakers ability to recognize when they need help but cant express it. More aging-specific education is necessary for students of all backgrounds to begin to at least understand what growing older entails before they can ever hope to interact with elders in a meaningful way.

How do student attitudes concern society?

A foremost concern for society in regard to the new coming generation of health care professionals is their common distaste for the elderly (Kalavar 2001, Mckenzie and Brown 2013, Luo et al. 2013, Smith 2013). It has been found that nursing students often view real nursing as working alongside doctors and surgeons to cure a patient, rather than simply providing subordinate or palliative-type care (Kiger 1993, as cited in Mckenzie and Brown 2013). The latter plays a critical role in meaningful elder care. Further, when students do express an interest in working with elders, they are often more concerned with specific careers involving studying Alzheimers or dealing with elder medications rather than possessing a desire to care for elders one-on-one or form any sort of personal relationship with them (Leson et al. 2011). Some even believe that elders are selfish and seek too much attention (Okoye and Obikeze 2005). These student attitudes reflect an internalized ageist vein that carries over to different parts of our society (Kalavar 2001). It has been found that student-aged individuals discriminate against the elderly more than any other group (Yilmaz et al. 2012). Undergraduates were surveyed in regard to their preferences of the ages of 13 different service providers, including a bus driver, pharmacist, car mechanic, lawyer, airplane pilot, and congressional representative. Findings revealed that students average preferred age for all 13 professions was below 40 years of age. Older adults are remaining in the workforce longer than ever as Social Security benefits and other economic factors are being altered, and this study reveals that young people are not comfortable with this thought.

Students and Grandparents

Factors that influence relationship satisfaction:

The ability to communicate effectively is essential in any successful relationship, and it has been found that a lack of communication opportunities can negatively affect individual health (House, Landis, and Umberson 1988, Rodin and Langer 1977 as cited in Harwood 2000). Research has stressed the importance of effective communication for close-knit grandchild-grandparent relationships (Harwood 2000.) Mutual self-disclosure is especially important to the fostering of solidarity in the grandchild-grandparent relationship, as is storytelling (Downs 1989 as cited in Harwood 2000). Storytelling can serve not only as a means of bonding individual grandparents and grandchildren, but has also been found to serve as a means of keeping family history alive (Harwood 2000, Ross et al. 2004). Storytelling keeps a wider set of relatives connected, allowing grandchildren to grow close to extended family that they might not otherwise have had relationships with if not for their grandparents, further adding to relationship satisfaction.

Moreover, storytelling serves as a prompt for grandparents to seek out a strong grandparent-grandchild relationship (Reitzes and Mutran 2004). Grandparent satisfaction is strongly derived from their perception of the symbolic interactionism in the relationship, or how important the grandparent views their role as such to their grandchild. Storytelling and being the liaison of family history to younger generations adds meaning and purpose to the grandparent role, and boosts grandparent satisfaction within the grandparent-grandchild relationship. The ability to listen (in both the grandparent and grandchild) is also highly linked with bonded grandchild-grandparent relationships, being especially important for the grandchilds perception of a successful relationship (Ross et al. 2004).

The major factor influencing how positively a grandparent sees their relationship with their grandchild is the level of the grandchilds accommodation to their grandparent, or their ability/willingness to attune their communication to their grandparents needs (Williams et al. 1997, Williams and Giles 1996 as cited in Harwood 2000). This implies that a grandchilds ability to connect with and understand their grandparent is the major force behind a grandparents satisfaction with their relationship, meaning that young people need to know how to communicate with elders in a respectful way in order to garner close relationships with their grandparents. This would allude to the fact that a student who considers themselves to be close to their grandparents has the interpersonal skills necessary for bonding with other elders as well if they are so inclined.

Why these relationships are important:

The theme of proper accommodation in grandchild-grandparent relationship satisfaction is important to consider in the analysis of students disinterest in working with elders outside of their families (Harwood 2000). Scholars believe that students who have close relationships with their grandparents possess intergenerational communication tools, yet they (students) do not seem to realize how these tools can also be applied to other elders in general, resulting in disinterest in working and interacting with older adults (Harwood 2000, Ross et al. 2004).

Furthermore, successful grandchild-grandparent relationships can serve as a means of challenging ageist stereotypes in the media (Pike 2013). When a young person sees a representation of an elder on television that is stereotypical or ageist, but also experiences the reality of elder behavior through their relationship with their grandparents, it is a step towards the recognition of the discrepancies that exist between the media, culture, and the truth. Further, students who are more knowledgeable about aging (often learned through personal interactions with elders) tend to be less anxious about their own aging process and possess less ageist attitudes (Ligon et al. 2014). This implies that an increase in the interaction between young people and elders (such as their grandparents) can teach students what it is really like to be old and in turn challenge the existence of any internalized ageist beliefs.

Students and Grandparents vs. Elders in General

Young people tend to think that their individual relationships with their grandparents are more favorable than the relationships that their peers have with their grandparents (Boon and Brussoni 1998). A study in western Canada analyzed over 200 undergraduate students responses to a questionnaire about grandparent-grandchild relationships, designed specifically to assess various stereotypical beliefs about grandparents, such as grandparents make grandchildren feel important. Students rated how much they agreed with the idea that each stereotype was reflected within their own relationship with their grandparents, as well as how well they believed each stereotype described the relationships of other young people and their grandparents. The findings that students view their own grandchild-grandparent relationship as more favorable than other peoples relationships was found to be largely based on the belief that the students closest grandparent was a source of strength and support for the student, while they simultaneously believed that they were important to their grandparent.

It was also found that students believed their grandparents were better listeners than others grandparents and could be told anything, that they are closer than others are with their grandparents, and that there is little to no generation gap between the student and their grandparent, vs. other students relationships which were imagined as having larger generation gaps. Additionally, it was discovered that students viewed their own grandchild-grandparent relationships as superior to others not mainly because of an exaggeration of their grandparents positive features, but by downplaying their negative features. This process might include saying a grandparent does complain about their ailments, but not as much as others grandparents probably do, and that even though a grandparent might interfere with the students personal life, its really not that bad and the relationship is still more desirable than others relationships with their grandparents (Boon and Brussoni 1998).

These findings reflect the idea that a close grandchild-grandparent bond can shape a students perception of elders. Simply put: experiences within the grandchild-grandparent relationship may be crucial in influencing younger adults attitudes towards older adults in general (Kornhaber and Woodward 1985, Matthews and Sprey 1985, Silverstein and Parrott 1997 as cited in Harwood 2000). However, these findings also show that no matter how good a student rates their relationship with their grandparents, they will generally consider that relationship to be an anomaly amongst grandchild-grandparent relationships in general, failing to realize that many relationships exist between grandparents and their grandchildren that are very similar to the one the student is experiencing.Research Design and MethodMy research question aimed to uncover what factors shape college students perceptions of their grandparents and the elderly in general. I wanted to see if there are any correlations between the amount of time a student spends with their grandparents (broken down into hours per month,) if they are looking forward to their own aging process, how they view their relationship with their grandparents (do they see their relationship with their grandparents as more desirable than other students relationships as discussed in Boon and Brussoni 1998,) and their perceptions (the way they regard, imagine, or depict people in their minds) of their grandparents and elders (those aged 65 years or older) in general. I was interested to see if students answers to survey questions regarding their experiences with or feelings toward these independent variables reveal any beliefs in ageist stereotypes (beliefs or attitudes about elders which have the potential to turn into discriminative actions) (Yilmaz et al. 2012). I attempted to gather this information through the distribution of carefully worded and organized quantitative survey questionnaires drawing from the research and methods of Boon and Brussoni 1998, Harwood 2000, Ligon et al. 2013, Luo et al. 2013,Okoye and Obikeze 2005, Reitzes and Mutran 2004, Ross et al. 2004, and Yilmaz et al. 2012 (e.g. the Likert-scale format of some questions.)I consider this research to be of sociological interest because it will help reveal whether students think of their grandparents as part of the elderly population or separate from it. It will be interesting to see if young people use certain stereotypes to describe an entire group of people (elders or people 65 [the age at which one becomes eligible for Medicare] years of age or older) while failing to apply these stereotypes to their own grandparents because they are family or dont fall into the students personal stereotypical categorization of the elderly. I hypothesized that through the process of induction, this research would show that young people are instilled with the idea that certain stereotypes of elders are factual while also learning that it is natural to believe that their grandparents are exceptions to these stereotypes, even though they are a part of the aging population as well.

SampleI distributed an anonymous survey to students on the Ithaca College campus in order to gather my research data. As part of the study description page attached to each survey, I included a statement that in agreeing to complete the survey, the participant acknowledged that they were a currently enrolled student at Ithaca College and at least 18 years old. Further, to ensure confidentiality, I did not ask participants for their names, student identification numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. In fact, I explicitly asked them to refrain from writing these details anywhere on the survey.

Surveys were handed out in the library to willing participants, as well as distributed during classes of professors whom I had previously emailed to ask for permission to do so. My goal sample size was 150, and I received 179 responses overall. I believe the nature of the questions that I asked (closed-ended or circle all that apply) were well-suited to my quantitative research method, as they were conducive to a fairly simple and quick sampling procedure.

I did participate in a form of purposive sampling in that I distributed my survey to one class offered through the Gerontology Institute because it was convenient, but I otherwise avoided students in the aging studies department. My goal was to avoid students taking aging studies classes because their responses might have created a bias in my data, since they are more educated about the elderly population and would in turn probably more positively perceive elders in general when compared to their non-aging studies counterparts. Even though this may have disrupted the sampling frame (the goal being a sample representing the entire Ithaca College student body,) I believe it was justifiable. Those who are interested in aging studies will most likely be aware of possible stereotypical labeling (and in turn purposely avoid choosing it in the survey.) This did, however, omit the possibility of a random sample because I was purposely avoiding certain students. A true random sample was not possible, though, because I did not have access to the contact information for the entire student population and was at the mercy of the chance students who passed by in the library while I was handing out surveys/showed up for the classes that I was able to distribute in; this was a convenience sample.FindingsOf the 179 respondents to my study, 174 said they had once had a living grandparent, and one participant left this question blank (Figure A-1). Participants were asked to choose qualities from a list of ageist stereotypes that they felt best represented most of the elderly today, as well as their own grandparents. It was found that students most frequently viewed elders as wise, followed by loving, and then warm (Figure A-2). Grandparents were most frequently considered to be loving, then warm, then wise (Figure A-3).Figure A-2: Frequency of Reported Elder Stereotypes

Descriptive Statistics

NSum

EGRUMP17951.00

EMEAN17914.00

ESILLY17956.00

EWARM179119.00

ELOVING179139.00

EWISE179151.00

EUNCARE17910.00

EFUN17961.00

EHAPPY17973.00

EPROTECT17971.00

Valid N (listwise)179

Figure A-3: Frequency of Reported Grandparent Stereotypes


NSum

GGRUMP17831.00

GMEAN17811.00

GSILLY17895.00

GWARM178133.00

GLOVING178156.00

GWISE178130.00

GUNCARE1785.00

GFUN178109.00

GHAPPY178120.00

GPROTECT178108.00


About fifty percent of respondents agreed that the elderly contribute much to society (Figure A-4), while close to twenty-five percent were neutral on the matter, meaning that not many respondents disagreed with the thought that elders are still valuable to society.Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that they valued their relationship with their grandparents, with the majority of respondents choosing strongly agree (Figure A-5). However, despite this value of grandparents, participants were mostly neutral on the idea that the relationship they have with their grandparents is better or more special than their peers relationships with their grandparents (Figures A-6 and A-7). The next frequent response on this matter revealed that participants were more likely to agree that their relationships are better than their peers, yet disagree that their relationships are more special.Reported hours per month spent with grandparents ranged from 0 to 558, with an average of 21 hours per month. Reported hours per month spent talking to grandparents per month ranged from 0 to 500 hours, with an average talking time of 16 hours per month. These variables were combined to calculate an overall estimate of interaction time with grandparents per month, resulting in a minimum of 0 hours, a maximum of 1000 hours, and an average of 37 hours per month (Figure A-11).Students generally reported feeling very comfortable interacting with both the elderly and their grandparents, and while some students reported feeling slightly less comfortable interacting with elders than their grandparents, very few reported negatively on this matter (Figure A-12).The average reported amount of time that respondents spend with their grandparents per month was shown to have a strong connection to respondents thoughts on their level of comfort interacting with their grandparents, their level of comfort interacting with elders in general, and the idea that the elderly contribute much to society. (Figures A-13.1, A-13.2, A-14.1, A-14.2, A-15.1, A-15.2). In all cases, the more hours that participants reported spending with their grandparents, the more likely they were to strongly agree that they were comfortable with both their grandparents and elders, and with the idea that elders indeed contribute much to society.

Figure A-15.1: On average, the more time a student spends with their grandparent(s) per month, the more likely they are to strongly agree that elders contribute much to society.

Lastly, when asked if they were looking forward to growing older and looking forward to growing elderly, participants were most likely to report neutrality on the thought of growing older yet disagree that they desired to grow elderly (Figure A-16). However, participants were likely to answer in the same range for both of these questions (e.g. about the same number of respondents who strongly agreed that they were looking forward to growing older strongly agreed that they were looking forward to growing elderly.Analysis, Interpretation, and Discussion

I think my sample of 179 students is an ample one that can be used to support the validity of my findings. Even though some students reported not ever having a living grandparent, 174 valid responses is still a higher number than my original goal of 150, adding even more weight to the findings that I uncovered.

When I asked participants to identify words that they might use to describe most of the elderly population and their grandparents, I expected to find that respondents were more likely to list negative stereotypes when describing elders (such as mean and grumpy,) and positive stereotypes when describing their grandparents (like loving and fun.) Much to my surprise, respondents were most likely to ascribe positive attributes to both elders and grandparents, and the top three responses for each category were the same, including wise, warm, and loving (Figures A-2 and A-3). The frequency of these attributes in each category also surprised me, however. When talking about elders, respondents first considered them wise, then loving, then warm. Grandparents, however, were most frequently reported as loving, then warm, then wise. I suspect elders are thought of as wise most frequently because students might not have had a particular elder in mind as they tried to identify an entire demographic, instead falling back upon the image of a wizened, old figure. Grandparents are family, though, and because of this, perhaps thought of in a more casual or personable way, placing an emphasis on their loving and warm qualities before their life experience comes to mind.

I did include spaces on my survey for participants to write any descriptive factors that I had not included in my asking to describe both the general elderly population and participants grandparents. I expected to receive a lot of negative answers about elders and positive ones about grandparents, but I was once again surprised. Not many participants wrote their own descriptors, and of the few that did, they were mostly positive or humorously factual for both elders and grandparents, such as caring, old, and people. Two students said that most elders are racist and conservative (a clearly stereotypical, ageist thought,) but 2 out of 179 is not a significant number in terms of representing the entire samples thoughts. Further, one student said that their grandparents are stupid, which further reveals that everyone has their own experiences with family, and it was wrong of me to expect to find most participants report negatively about elders but positively about their own grandparents; its going to be different for everyone.

I was unsure what I would find in regards to student thoughts on elders still being integral to society today, but I thought it would be rather negative. I was pleasantly surprised to see that over half of respondents agreed that elders still contribute much to society (Figure A-4), and the next highest response category was neutral, followed by strongly agree. Six respondents disagreed with this sentiment, and only one strongly disagreed, revealing that the sample of students that I surveyed are rather accepting of the idea that elders still have much to offer despite their age. This is a great sign that young people are not letting the medias frequent portrayal of elders as sluggish and decrepit cloud their view of reality.

While I did expect that most respondents would value the relationship they have with their grandparents, I was not expecting that most respondents would be neutral about the idea that their relationship is better and/or more special than the relationships that their peers have with their grandparents. Previous scholars have clearly demonstrated that oftentimes students think they have a special relationship with their grandparents that their colleagues are lacking, but the majority of respondents did not feel strongly either way (Figures A-6 and A-7) (Boon and Brussoni 1998). Further, while participants were next most likely to agree that their relationship is better than their peers, (after neutral,) they were more likely to disagree with the idea that their grandparent-grandchild relationship was more special than their classmates. I really do not know why students might think their relationship is better but not more special, and I am very surprised that most responses were neutral; I thought people would be more passionate about their relationships, but I suppose not everyone always has positive experiences with their grandparents.

I was also surprised by the reported frequency of hours spent with grandparents per month. I know there might be some discrepancy in these numbers because many respondents probably spend different amounts of time with their grandparents depending upon the season or whether school is in session, but even after combining the variables of hours spent interacting with grandparents and hours spent talking to grandparents into one variable, the averages were still fairly high (Figure A-11). I was very pleased, however, with the findings of all of the variables that were analyzed in relation to time spent with grandparents.

It is understandable that the average student reported being slightly more comfortable interacting with their grandparents than other elders because as aforementioned, grandparents are family, and it can be a lot easier to interact with a family member than a stranger who is from a different cohort (Figure A-12). However, the majority of participants strongly agreed that they felt comfortable interacting with both their grandparents and the general elderly population, a finding that I did not expect to uncover whatsoever. Again, this may partly reveal that young people are learning to recognize the reality of what elders look like today, but this could also be due to the high reported time spent interacting with ones grandparents per month, which apparently has a measurable impact on ones thoughts on elders.

I hoped to find a correlation between time spent with grandparents and positive thoughts about elders, and I was extremely happy to see that in every variable I compared, there seemed to be a connection between time and participant positivity regarding elders (Figures A-13.1, A-14.1, A-15.1). Participants were very likely to strongly agree that they were comfortable interacting with elders, comfortable interacting with their grandparent, and considered the elderly as contributing much to society the more hours they reported spending interacting with their grandparents per month. These findings directly reflect previous scholars findings that experiences within the grandchild-grandparent relationship may be crucial in influencing younger adults attitudes towards older adults in general (Kornhaber and Woodward 1985, Matthews and Sprey 1985, Silverstein and Parrott 1997 as cited in Harwood 2000). It is apparent that the more time a young person spends with their grandparent, the more comfortable they will be interacting with the elderly, and the more appreciative they will be of these older generations.Lastly, in my attempt to uncover blatant ageism in the Ithaca College student population, I asked participants whether they were looking forward to growing older, and also if they were looking forward to growing elderly. I expected frequent excitement about growing older in general and distaste with the thought of becoming elderly, but my findings reveal that participants were most often neutral about growing older and disagreed that they were looking forward to growing elderly, but a the next largest response was neutral all around, further revealing that I assumed students would be more ageist than they actually are.Summary and ConclusionsThe results of this study supported my hypothesis that time spent with grandparents has an impact on ones comfort with elders and their idea of the elderly population in general, but some findings surprised me as well. I was pleased to see that the amount of time one spends with their grandparents has such a positive effect on ones comfort interacting with elders and their overall value of the population, but I was surprised that participants were neutral on the idea that their grandchild-grandparent relationship is particularly special. It was found that the three most frequently reported descriptors of the elderly and grandparents are the same, just ranked differently in each. Further, all of these descriptors can be defined as positive; I expected to see positive descriptors for grandparents but negative ones for elders in general. It was found that over half of participants agree that elders do indeed contribute much to society, and almost all of those surveyed agreed that they valued the relationship they have (or had) with their grandparents. If I could generalize beyond my sample, I would say that the more time college students spend with their grandparents, the more accepting they are of elders, the more comfortable they are interacting with this growing population, and the less ageist they are overall, thinking of both their grandparents and elders in a positive and pleasant light.Critical Reflections on the Research ProcessI know this study had a few weaknesses that were due to my own editing errors. In the questions that asked participants to circle which qualities they felt described most elders/their grandparents, I accidentally listed Uncaring as an option twice. These questions were also improperly balanced in their options of negative and positive stereotypes. There were six positive stereotypes such as loving and fun, and only four negative stereotypes, like grumpy and mean. Further, I feel as though I should have included stereotypes that were not emotion-related to get a better idea of what students actually think of elders. In the space where participants were able to add on whatever defining characteristics they thought was missing, a few individuals put descriptors like conservative and racist. Listing political and social views as possibilities for participants might have allowed for a more complete picture of how the elderly are viewed in the minds of Ithaca College students, apart from the emotions that they display.I do think this study was strong in its range of questions, though, especially in relation to students perceiving their grandparental relationships as more special than their peers which was directly inspired by the literature review (Boon and Brussoni 1998). I not only tested for time spent with elders and feelings about them, but I was also able to dabble in student views on elders contributions to society and participant thoughts about their own aging process, which I think adds further depth to the study. I was able to see how student-grandparent relationships affected student thoughts about elders, but also student thoughts on themselves.In terms of my strengths and weaknesses as a researcher, I know my shyness was an obstacle in the distribution of surveys. I had originally wanted to gather all of my participants from the library, but I was so embarrassed walking around asking people to take my survey that I gave up very quickly; I couldnt brush off the annoyed looks and doubts about the length of time the questionnaire would take to complete. This embarrassment prompted me to email professors and ask if I could distribute in their classes, which was also intimidating because I asked professors whom I had never met before (I searched for classes that met during my free time/held at least twenty students.) All of the professors I worked with were very willing to help me, though, which was a confidence boost. I think this method was very effective for gathering a large number of surveys at a time, and I believe I would distribute my research tool in this fashion again if I had to do everything over.I also know that a major weakness of mine was my poor skill level with SPSS. I really thought I was doing well with the program until I wanted to compare the number of ageist stereotypes reported by each participant with the amount of time students spent with their grandparents per month. I could not for the life of me figure out how to combine the stereotype variables to come up with one frequency report (and it was too late in the process to ask for help,) and because of this failure I omitted my exploration of the effect of hours spent with grandparents on stereotypes believed, a point that I originally very much wanted to analyze.

Im sure my aging studies background and my desire to find evidence to support my hypothesis drove me to pick out the correlations that were most conducive to what I wanted to show, but I was also lucky in that my research really did support what I originally hoped and expected to find.

Finally, I think I was most surprised by the way participants responded to my asking them to take my survey (at least in the library.) I love doing surveys, and I assumed people would have enjoyed an excuse to take a break from their work that was still productive, but I guess many people who do their work on the first floor of the library are more engrossed in their studies than I had suspected (which was apparently a bias on my part!)BibliographyBabbie, Earl R. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Chapman University, United States:

Cengage Learning.

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adults views of their closest grandparents.Personal Relationships,5(1), 105-119.

Harwood, J. (2000). Communicative predictors of solidarity in the grandparentgrandchild

relationship.Journal Of Social And Personal Relationships,17(6), 743-766.

Kalavar, J. M. (2001). Examining ageism: Do male and female college students

differ?.Educational Gerontology, 27(6), 507-513.

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Preferred Methods for Furthering Aging Education in Ohio.Educational

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Ligon, M., Ehlman, K., Moriello, G., Russo, C., & Miller, K. (2014). Validation of the Attitude

Older Adult and Aging-Visual Analogue Scales (At-O-A).Educational Gerontology,40(8),

572-583.

Luo, B., Zhou, K., Jin, E. J., Newman, A., & Liang, J. (2013). Ageism among college students:

A comparative study between U.S. and China.Journal Of Cross-Cultural

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care: Influence of age, ageism, and perceived barriers.Educational Gerontology,40(8), 618

633.

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in Nigeria: Implications for social policy.Journal Of Applied Gerontology,24(5), 439-452.

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Relationships. Glasgow Centre for the Child & Society. University of Glasgow, Scotland.

Retrieved October 24, 2014.

Smith, J. R. (2013). Students' role confusion when working with older adults: The voices of

foundation students. Journal Of Social Work Education,49(2), 250-264.

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Ageism.Ageing International,37(2), 143-154.

Appendix AFigure A-1: Participants Ever Have a Living Grandparent?LIVGP

FrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative Percent

ValidNo42.22.22.2

Yes17497.297.8100.0

Total17899.4100.0

MissingSystem1.6

Total179100.0

Figure A-2: Frequency of Reported Elder Stereotypes


NSum

EGRUMP17951.00

EMEAN17914.00

ESILLY17956.00

EWARM179119.00

ELOVING179139.00

EWISE179151.00

EUNCARE17910.00

EFUN17961.00

EHAPPY17973.00

EPROTECT17971.00


Figure A-3: Frequency of Reported Grandparent Stereotypes


NSum

GGRUMP17831.00

GMEAN17811.00

GSILLY17895.00

GWARM178133.00

GLOVING178156.00

GWISE178130.00

GUNCARE1785.00

GFUN178109.00

GHAPPY178120.00

GPROTECT178108.00


Figure A-4: Frequency: The Elderly Contribute Much To SocietyELDCONM

FrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative Percent

ValidStrongly Agree3016.816.916.9

Agree9251.451.768.5

Neutral4927.427.596.1

Disagree63.43.499.4

Strongly Disagree1.6.6100.0

Total17899.4100.0

MissingSystem1.6

Total179100.0

Figure A-5: I value (or valued) my relationship with my grandparents.

Figure A-6: The relationship I have (or had) with my grandparents is better than the relationship that most students have with their grandparents.

Figure A-7: Other students dont have as special a relationship with their grandparents as I do (or did.)

Figure A-7: Crosstabulation of Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship Better And More SpecialRWGPB * SPECGP Crosstabulation

Count

SPECGPTotal

Strongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree

RWGPBStrongly Disagree12010013

Disagree32011025

Neutral121431066

Agree151619041

Strongly Agree016101532

Total1747673115177

Chi-Square Tests

ValuedfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square275.509a16.000

Likelihood Ratio212.44216.000

Linear-by-Linear Association107.6221.000

N of Valid Cases177

a. 12 cells (48.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.10.

Figure A-8: Hours Spent With Grandparents Per Month and

Hours Spent Talking to Grandparents Per MonthDescriptives

StatisticStd. Error

HRSWGPMean21.04244.56895

95% Confidence Interval for MeanLower Bound12.0232

Upper Bound30.0616

5% Trimmed Mean12.6251

Median5.0000

Variance3569.671

Std. Deviation59.74672

Minimum.00

Maximum558.00

Range558.00

Interquartile Range18.50

Skewness7.458.186

Kurtosis61.972.369

HRSTGPMean15.91053.62837


Upper Bound23.0730


Median3.5000

Variance2251.227


Minimum.00

Maximum500.00

Range500.00


Skewness7.740.186

Kurtosis71.056.369

Figure A-9: Hours With Grandparents Per Month

Figure A-10: Hours Talking to Grandparents Per Month

Figure A-11: Combined Time Interacting with Grandparents Per Month

Descriptives

StatisticStd. Error

TIMETOGETHERMean36.95298.03562


Upper Bound52.8154


Median11.0000

Variance11041.664


Minimum.00

Maximum1000.00

Range1000.00


Skewness7.501.186

Kurtosis62.782.369

Figure A-12:

COMFIGP * COMFIEL Crosstabulation

Count

COMFIELTotal

Strongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree

COMFIGPStrongly Agree524010093

Agree636155062

Neutral1462013

Disagree021205

Strongly Disagree031015

Total59852491178

Chi-Square Tests





N of Valid Cases178

a. 18 cells (72.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .03.

Figure A-13.1: Average Time With AND Talking to Grandparents in Relation to Comfort Interacting with Grandparents

Figure A-13.2: Average Time With AND Talking to Grandparents in Relation to Comfort Interacting with Grandparents

Figure A-14.1: Average Time With AND Talking to Grandparents in Relation to Comfort Interacting with Elders

Figure A-14.2: Average Time With AND Talking to Grandparents in Relation to Comfort Interacting with Elders

Figure A-15.1: Average Time With AND Talking to Grandparents in Relation Elders Contribute Much to Society

Figure A-15.2:

TIMETOGETHER * ELDCONM Crosstabulation

Count

ELDCONMTotal

Strongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree

TIMETOGETHER.00034108

.50010001

.75010001

1.002651014

1.20010001

1.50050005

2.00045009

2.50002002

3.00001001

3.50010001

4.00131005

4.50011002

5.00010001

5.50120003

6.00223007

6.50010001

7.00003205

7.50010001

8.00062008

9.00001001

10.00150006

11.00011013

12.00122005

12.50110002

13.00110002

14.00121004

14.50010001

15.00222006

16.00101002

17.00001102

18.00011002

18.50010001

19.00001001

20.00130004

23.00100001

24.00020002

24.50001001

25.00001001

27.00011002

30.00110103

33.00011002

34.00110002

40.00020002

41.00100001

45.00010001

48.00010001

50.00110002

52.00200002

54.00010001

59.00001001

60.00040004

65.00010001

70.00010001

74.00100001

80.00021003

83.00010001

84.00001001

90.00010001

99.00010001

120.00201003

125.00110002

137.50100001

140.00010001

150.00010001

175.00010001

200.00011002

858.00100001

1000.00100001

Total29874761170

Figure A-16: I look forwad to growing older. * I look forward to becoming elderly. Crosstabulation

Count

I look forward to becoming elderly.Total

Strongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree20.00

I look forwad to growing older.Strongly Agree2100104

Agree01120170149

Neutral0820272057

Disagree0442618052

Strongly Disagree100114016

Total3244471351178

Chi-Square Tests





N of Valid Cases178

a. 17 cells (56.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .02.

Appendix B: Research Instrument1. Please circle the answer that best reflects your thoughts on the following statements:I look forward to growing older.

Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral

DisagreeStrongly Disagree

I look forward to becoming elderly.

[In the United States, an elderly person is generally defined as someone who is 65 years of age or older.]

Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


I feel comfortable interacting with (talking to, spending time with, etc.) the elderly.Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


The elderly contribute much to society.

Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


2. Most elderly people are: (circle all that apply/list as many other qualities as you like)

GrumpyMean

Silly

Warm

Loving

Uncaring

Wise

UncaringFun

Happy

ProtectiveOther: ________

3. Have you ever had a living grandparent(s)?

Yes

No

If you answered yes to the above question, please continue with this survey. I would like to ask some questions about the relationship you had (have) with you grandparents when they were alive.

4. About how many hours per month do you (or did you in the past) spend with your grandparent(s)?

(Please fill in the statement below.)

I spend about __________ hours per month with my grandparents.

5. About how many hours per month do you (or did you in the past) spend talking with your grandparent(s)? [This includes communicating in person, on the phone, and through social media.]I spend about __________ hours per month talking with my grandparents.

6. Please circle the answer that best reflects your thoughts on the following statements:

I feel (or felt) comfortable interacting with (talking to, spending time with, etc.) my grandparents.

Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


I value (or valued) my relationship with my grandparents.

Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


7. How would you describe your grandparents? (circle all that apply/list as many other qualities as you like)

GrumpyMean

Silly

Warm

Loving

Uncaring

Wise

UncaringFun

Happy

ProtectiveOther: ________

8. Please circle the answer that best represents your thoughts on the following statements:

The relationship I have (or had) with my grandparents is better than the relationship that most students have with their grandparents.Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


"Other students don't have as special a relationship with their grandparents as I do (or did)."

Strongly AgreeAgree

Neutral


grandma's a grump - research methods final report

Documents

ones grandparents

students relationships

grandparents boon

students perceptions

students anxiety

ithaca college students

collegeaged students

general elderly population