What Will My Life Be Like at Age 70? Perspectives of Undergraduate Students in an Aging Course

The affective domain of learning is an essential component in the professional development of nursing students. Teaching strategies stimulating an emotional response can impact students' attitudes, values, and beliefs. This qualitative study examined the use of a reflective journaling assignment in eliciting perspectives from 142 students about aging. Most students identified the assignment to be a real "eye opener" and perceived older adults in a different light. Students consulted with a grandparent or another older adult while writing the essay, which led to a mutually satisfying connection. Students were most fearful about loss of functional status, being too ill to enjoy activities, and the deaths of loved ones. Students often lack the ability to see patients beyond their current health status because educational programs largely focus on the cognitive domain. Using strategies targeting the affective domain can help students reconsider their values and beliefs toward the older population. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 46(4), 48-52.].