title: Encouraging responsible aging through pedagogy: the future self exercise.
abstract: Introductory gerontology courses have the potential to enhance student appreciation of aging issues. The effectiveness of such courses for informing views about individual aging is little studied. This study, using a quasi-experimental design, examines the impact of participation in an introductory course in aging on 158 undergraduate students in a Midwestern state. The course used an instructional device, the Future Self Exercise, to help students acknowledge and plan for their own future aging. A pre- and postcomparison of student self-ratings and descriptions supports the efficacy of introductory courses using this instructional approach for educating student views about their own aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68588-0562, USA.
authors.forename: Julie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.forename: Lyn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Holley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*