Intergenerational Programs with Older Adults: Elementary School Teachers’ Perceptions on Academic Performance

Intergenerational programs bring together two or more generations and engage them in shared activities that inspire, educate, and advance their mutual well-being. Current literature on intergenerational programs involving elementary school children and older individuals describes benefits for both groups. However, most studies concentrate on the benefits for the older adult participants. The purpose of this generic qualitative research study was to explore elementary school teachers’ perceptions of the academic performance of students who participated in an intergenerational program with older adults. The theoretical framework consists of four processes of modeling a social learning theory component. A purposeful sampling of eight elementary school teachers from one school district in the United States were interviewed on their perceptions on the academic performance of students who participated in an intergenerational program with older adults. Data were collected through one-on-one interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. The key findings were six themes that emerged: an intergenerational program with older adults, the academic performance of students, older adult volunteers, skills taught and modeled by older adults, teachers and older adults in the classroom, and teachers’ perceptions of the program. All participants interviewed found that students who participated in the intergenerational program with older adults improved academically, socially, and emotionally. Highlighting elementary school teachers’ perceptions on intergenerational programs with students and older adult volunteers can have positive social change benefits by assisting in the implementation of these programs in schools.