“I Will Cherish This Experience for a Lifetime:” A Qualitative Exploration of the Benefits of Intergenerational Dialogue in College Students

ABSTRACT

The current study focuses on the potential benefits of intergenerational dialogue, which broadly refers to the sharing of experience, values, and knowledge between members of different generations through conversation. To investigate the benefits of intergenerational dialogue for young adults, college students partnered with older adults to engage in two semi-structured conversations. Students completed three reflections along with the dialogue sessions. After conducting a thematic analysis of student reflections, we found they reported themes of relationship building, character building, hearing older adults’ stories, enjoyable experience, and perceived intergenerativity. Results from this study highlight some of the immediate and integrative benefits of intergenerational dialogue.

KEYWORDS:

• Intergenerational dialogue
• service-learning
• intergenerational programming
• intergenerational
• experiential learning

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the students and older adults who gave their time to make this project possible. Additionally, the authors would like to acknowledge research assistant Andrea Martinez for her help with gathering background resources.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.

Contribution to the Field

This paper advances the intergenerational field by underscoring the transformative power of intentional, meaningful dialogue between younger and older adults. Using student reflections, it illuminates how such exchanges can bolster not just relationship building, but character development too. The study also extends the concept of intergenerativity, showcasing its’ reciprocal nature within our dialogue framework. Furthermore, it highlights the pivotal role of storytelling by older adults in facilitating transformative experiences for the younger generation. By suggesting practical applications in gerontological education and character development research, this work provides a roadmap for future investigations.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was reported by the authors.