Intergenerational Exchange: Effects on Attitude of Deaf Youth Participating in a Program with Deaf Older Adults

Intergenerational relationships have been important aspects of individual and family development in the hearing society. Social science research indicates multiple benefits of intergenerational programs in the hearing society. However, an earnest examination of the literature located no documented studies on intergenerational programs within the deaf society. More than 90% of all deaf individuals are bom into hearing families. Developmental researchers demonstrate that deaf children with deaf parents have superior social function, compared to deaf children of hearing parents. These findings prompted investigation of the effects of intergenerational relationships within the deaf community. A pilot study testing the effects on attitude of deaf youth (ages 13 through 19) participating in an intergenerational summer program with deaf, older adults is described. A quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest comparison group design was performed involving deaf adolescents (ages 13-19) and deaf, older adults (over age 65). The adolescents' attitude towards older adults was measured using Stremmel, Travis, and Kelly-Harrison's "Intergenerational Exchanges Attitude Scale" (IAES), which was modified for the deaf. For the experimental group a positive relationship exists for four variables coded as kind, play, fim and hobbies. Higher scores were noted from respondents with the following attributes: male, 15 years old, bom in USA, and never having attended camp. None of the respondents reported having an existing relationship with a deaf older adult. Analysis with the comparison group was not possible due to several methodological issues. Proposal to resolve these issues is discussed. Generalizations are impeded by methodological issues such as dropout rate, size of groups, modification of instrument and length of program. Nevertheless, the exploratory investigation provides a springboard for further research; it alerts program developers for the need to pilot intergenerational programs in the deaf community. In addition, the contributions of this pilot project will stimulate others to examine the effects of intergenerational programs on developmental, educational and gerontological issues, paralleling studies in the hearing community.Master'sCollege of Arts and Sciences: Public AdministrationUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117842/1/MacMillanSmith.pd