Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia
On-line version ISSN 1808-4281
Abstract
LEITE, Soniárlei Vieira and FRANCA, Lucia Helena de Freitas Pinho. The importance of intergenerationality to the development of older university students. Estud. pesqui. psicol. [online]. 2016, vol.16, n.3, pp.831-853. ISSN 1808-4281.
Aging has become a concern in many areas of knowledge, among them the focus on teaching and learning in intergenerational relations. However, there is a lack of research demonstrating the benefits of this intergenerationality in university education. This study aimed to verify the importance of intergenerational development of older students. The research approach was qualitative, through semi-structured interviews and use of content analysis, based on the perception of different actors about wisdom, social support, social skills, resilience (resilient attitudes) and intergenerational contact. The study gathered 20 students (10 younger and 10 older), three teachers and two staff from two universities of Rio de Janeiro. The intergenerational contact perceived is beneficial to the development of the university, regardless of age, but especially for the elderly. The intergenerational relationship is favorable to older students as their personal development and academic performance and age is not a defining criterion of aging on the perception of older and younger students. The differences between younger and older students, as a rule, are overcome over time. Researches on social skills are recommended, especially those developed in the academic, as an influence factor on the performance of older students.
Keywords : intergenerational; students; younger; older; development.