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Aging, older adults, and later life : an exploration of kinesiology undergraduate students' perceptions and experiences McCollor, Vivian
Abstract
I explored kinesiology students’ perceptions and experiences of aging, older adults, and later life during COVID-19. The global population is aging, and many kinesiology students will go on to pursue careers in which they work with older adults in various capacities, including as primary and allied healthcare professionals, exercise specialists, and educators. Current research suggests that age prejudice is pervasive in society and is multi-faceted, and that university students often hold primarily negative attitudes about aging, older adults, and later life. Although ageism is well-documented, relatively few studies have focused on kinesiology students, or used in-depth interviews, and, to my knowledge, none have been conducted during or following the global pandemic. The purpose of this study was to learn about kinesiology undergraduate students’ experiences, perceptions, and attitudes regarding aging, older adults, and later life. The study was guided by age-relations theory using an interpretive-constructivist lens that helped explore the broader socio-cultural dimensions underlying age-related stereotypes and power relations based on age. The study involved 11 student participants, who were administered a short survey and then interviewed. I interviewed two students once and the remaining nine were interviewed twice for a total of 20 interviews and 23.5 interview hours. The survey results indicated that students viewed aging and older adults positively. However, the subsequent interviews revealed that the students held more complex and ambivalent views towards aging, older adults, and later life. My thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: (1) The Ambiguity of Older Identities, (2) The Paradoxes of Advanced Aging, and (3) Imagined Future Selves. The first pertained to participants’ ambiguous and conflicting perceptions of older adults’ identities, the second referred to the tendency of participants to perceive advanced aging as encompassing both liberation and constraints, and the third referred to participants’ hopes and fears as they envisioned themselves as future older people. These findings suggest that kinesiology participants embodied the broad interdisciplinary nature of their kinesiology education that afforded them deeper insights into complex issues. I discuss my findings in relation to the research and theorizing, offering suggestions for how kinesiology curriculum may be harnessed to address societal ageism.
Item Metadata
Title |
Aging, older adults, and later life : an exploration of kinesiology undergraduate students' perceptions and experiences
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Creator | |
Supervisor | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2024
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Description |
I explored kinesiology students’ perceptions and experiences of aging, older adults, and later life during COVID-19. The global population is aging, and many kinesiology students will go on to pursue careers in which they work with older adults in various capacities, including as primary and allied healthcare professionals, exercise specialists, and educators. Current research suggests that age prejudice is pervasive in society and is multi-faceted, and that university students often hold primarily negative attitudes about aging, older adults, and later life. Although ageism is well-documented, relatively few studies have focused on kinesiology students, or used in-depth interviews, and, to my knowledge, none have been conducted during or following the global pandemic. The purpose of this study was to learn about kinesiology undergraduate students’ experiences, perceptions, and attitudes regarding aging, older adults, and later life. The study was guided by age-relations theory using an interpretive-constructivist lens that helped explore the broader socio-cultural dimensions underlying age-related stereotypes and power relations based on age. The study involved 11 student participants, who were administered a short survey and then interviewed. I interviewed two students once and the remaining nine were interviewed twice for a total of 20 interviews and 23.5 interview hours. The survey results indicated that students viewed aging and older adults positively. However, the subsequent interviews revealed that the students held more complex and ambivalent views towards aging, older adults, and later life. My thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: (1) The Ambiguity of Older Identities, (2) The Paradoxes of Advanced Aging, and (3) Imagined Future Selves. The first pertained to participants’ ambiguous and conflicting perceptions of older adults’ identities, the second referred to the tendency of participants to perceive advanced aging as encompassing both liberation and constraints, and the third referred to participants’ hopes and fears as they envisioned themselves as future older people. These findings suggest that kinesiology participants embodied the broad interdisciplinary nature of their kinesiology education that afforded them deeper insights into complex issues. I discuss my findings in relation to the research and theorizing, offering suggestions for how kinesiology curriculum may be harnessed to address societal ageism.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2024-11-21
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0447314
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2025-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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DSpace
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Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International