Observational Research in Intergenerational Programming

Summary

Research in the field of intergenerational programming is rapidly growing in both quantity and quality. Both those who plan and work directly with intergenerational program participants in the human services and those who hold positions as researchers and evaluators need to be encouraged to research and evaluate their programs. We argue that observational research, though not without its shortcomings, should be more widely used to study and evaluate intergenerational program effectiveness and the relationships among people within them. We also provide some examples of observational strategies useful in practice-based research. We conclude that by recording details of the actual program interactions and relationships and examining them carefully or preserving them for later scrutiny, intergenerational program planners can learn to make relationship-based interventions successful and rewarding for their clients and themselves.