Elementary School Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward the Elderly

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary school students’ knowledge and attitudes toward the elderly.

Methods: The instruments in this study were Palmore’s FAQ I and the 15 items scale developed by Won. The subjects were 658 students enrolled in 5th and 6th grades of elementary schools in Seoul, Korea. The data was collected from Aug. 25th to Sep 11th, 2006. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics. t-test one-way ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression using SPSS Win 11.0 program.

Results: The level of knowledge toward the elderly was relatively low. The level of attitudes toward the elderly showed relatively high. Also, there was significant differences in attitude toward the elderly according to sex and co-living status with the elderly. The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that familiarity and friendly contact with elderly, knowledge of aging and sex significantly predicted the altitudes toward the elderly.

Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop education programs and curriculum in elementary school to increase the knowledge and positive attitudes toward the elderly.