Education on Old Age and Ageing in School: An Analysis of Students’ Conceptions of Old Age and Ageing and Implications for Teaching

Abstract

Issues related to old age and ageing are an imperative topic in a society of long life, concerning everyone. Wherever possible, the age-related issues should also be adequately addressed and integrated into school education. This article gives an overview of perceptions of students in regard to external and self-images of old age, as conceptions from students are an important starting point for the development of teaching approaches. So far, there is an insufficient research situation in Germany regrading images of old age of children and adolescents. Guideline-supported individual interviews with 10 ninth graders (Mage = 15.2 years) were conducted and analyzed in order to get an insight into prevalent conceptions of old age and ageing in this age cohort. The students’ ideas result in a comprehensive category system. In summary, our investigation has shown that students do not hold one-sided positive or negative images of old age in general, although some aspects like the physical condition and exercise capacity are seen more negatively than for example the characteristics of older persons. Teaching approaches for biology lessons and other subjects, deducted from the students’ perceptions, are given in the discussion.