Moving Stories: Evaluation of an MSW Experiential Learning Project on Aging and Diversity

Abstract

This study consists of an oral history project that partnered MSW students with community dwelling older adults from diverse backgrounds. It used a comparison group with a pretest and posttest design and a sample of 74 MSW students to evaluate changes in their confidence levels, future plans of working with older adults, and geriatric competencies. Results of MANOVAs revealed that participation in the oral history project was significantly related to future career plans, confidence about working with diverse older adults, and geriatric competencies related to diversity, particularly for the experimental group. Exposing social work students to a broad-based curriculum with aging content has important implications toward fostering students’ interests in pursuing social work practice with older adults and in preparing them for culturally competent social work.