Evaluation of a remediation program using senior citizens as psychoeducational agents

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Learning and psychosocial disabilities present significant challenges for student development.
• Traditional remediation programs may benefit from innovative staffing models.
• Intergenerational programs can offer unique benefits to both younger and older participants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a remediation program using senior citizens as paraprofessional aides for learning and psychosocially disabled pupils.
• To assess the impact of the program on students' academic and psychosocial development.
• To explore the benefits experienced by the senior citizen aides.

Main Methods:

• A remediation program, Senior Training and Education Partnership (STEP), was implemented with learning and psychosocially disabled pupils.
• Senior citizens served as paraprofessional aides, forming tutorial relationships with students.
• Pre- and posttesting, standardized achievement and intelligence tests, school grades, personality assessments, and behavior ratings were used to measure student outcomes.
• A control group was used for statistical comparison.
• Self-reports from senior aides were collected.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated significant improvements in academic skills and psychosocial adjustment.
• Statistical analysis confirmed the significance of these gains compared to a control group.
• Senior citizen aides reported personal benefits from their involvement in the program.

Conclusions:

• The use of senior citizens as paraprofessional aides is an effective strategy for remediating learning and psychosocial disabilities in pupils.
• The program fostered positive academic and psychosocial development in students.
• The intergenerational approach provided mutual benefits for both students and senior aides.