Mary Dellmann-Jenkins

Career Decision Making and Intention: a Study of Hospitality Undergraduate Students

This study determined factors influencing undergraduate hospitality students’ career intentions in the hospitality industry. A total of 360 hospitality students completed a survey that assessed career decision making, expected outcomes, and items focused on academic-related decisions and demographic background. Logistic regression analysis revealed that career intentions in hospitality were significantly associated with students’ gender, work experience, transfer status, and outcome expectations in the industry. Rewards most frequently reported by students focused on intrinsic outcomes of the industry (opportunities for career accomplishment and self-fulfillment). Implications are discussed for education and industry along with suggestions for future research.

FOSTERING PRESCHOOLERS’ PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS TOWARD THE ELDERLY: THE EFFECT OF AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM

The findings of this study provide valuable information to gerontology professionals interested in fostering caring connections between the young and the old. Contact with elderly in a variety of roles and settings as well as exposure to media presenting nonstereotypic information about older adults and the aging process were found to enhance young childrens prosocial behaviors toward the elderly. Pretest and posttest analyses indicated that 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds who participated in a nine‐month intergenerational program were more willing to share, help, and cooperate with elderly persons than those without the experience.

Young Adults' Attitudes toward Filial Responsibility and Actual Assistance to Elderly Family Members:

Research has yet to examine young adults in caregiver roles to older family members and their attitudes toward filial responsibility. In response, the authors collected data from two groups: (a) young adults who were primary caregivers to impaired elderly relatives (n = 40), and (b) 18-to 40-year-olds who had yet to take on caregiver roles (n = 40). As anticipated, the majority of young adults assumed their caregiver roles out of respect for the older family member in need and to help out the traditional elder caregivers in their families (middle-aged parents and siblings). In addition, expected differences in attitudes toward filial responsibility between the young adult caregivers and their noncaregiver peers were found. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Intergenerational Sharing Seminars: Their Impact on Young Adult College Students and Senior Guest Students.

A 3‐month intergenerational program was developed on the premise that it is important for young adults, who are in the formative period of career development and direction, to experience the benefits of positive interaction with older persons. Program evaluation findings showed that participation not only influenced the young adults’ interest in gerontology, but also increased their willingness to accept older persons on social and academic levels. Positive changes were documented for the Senior Guest students and included more favorable attitudes toward young adult family members as well as toward the younger generation of college students in general.

A Senior-Centered Model of Intergenerational Programming With Young Children

A multistep model is presented that builds upon documented features of intergenerational program design and evaluation strategies that have resulted in positive outcomes for both older adult and preschool-age participants. This senior-centered model builds upon evidence that intergenerational programs involving these two age groups often fail to recognize the needs and interests of the senior participants and primarily focus on promoting the development of the young children. This model is both timely and needed in light of the growing number of administrators of day care centers interested in providing regular intergenerational exchanges between preschoolers and older adults.

INTERGENERATIONAL ACTIVITY ANALYSIS WITH THREE GROUPS OF OLDER ADULTS: FRAIL, COMMUNITY‐LIVING, AND ALZHEIMER'S

This study documents the effects of utilizing different types of activities (i.e., cognitive, rote, active, passive) in fostering positive intergenerational exchanges between preschool‐aged children and three groups of older adults—frail, community‐living, and elders diagnosed as in the early to mid‐stage of Alzheimers disease. Results suggested that, overall, simple and largely unstructured activities with one or two steps and very few rules can be most successfully utilized with all three groups of elders when interacting with young children. Community‐living older persons and children were found to enjoy the widest range of activities, while intergenerational contact involving frail elders and those with Alzheimers disease needed to be approached with care in order to maintain the dignity of the elders, the positive perceptions of the children toward the older generation, and the comfort of staff members.

Sex Roles and Cultural Diversity in Recent Award Winning Picture Books for Young Children

Abstract This study updates previous research on how gender is being presented in award-winning picture books for young children by replicating a study that was conducted 10 years ago by Collins, Ingoldsby, and Dellmann (1984). This was accomplished by content-analyzing Caldecott Award and Honor Books from 1989 to 1992 and comparing these results with Collins, Ingoldsby, and Dellman (1984). A second goal was to extend the research design used in prior investigations by examining central characters in the 1989—1992 sample for the portrayal of both androgyny and cultural diversity. Chi-square analysis documented a positive shift in the portrayal of nontraditional gender roles, for both males and females in the most recent award-winners. The portrayal of culturally diverse central characters was also found to be a predominant feature of the 1989–1992 sample. Implications for anti-bias and multicultural early childhood curriculum development are discussed.

SHAPING THE CORPORATE RESPONSE TO WORKERS WITH ELDER CARE COMMITMENTS: CONSIDERATIONS FOR GERONTOLOGISTS

Current family caregiving actions and trends in the provision of care to older relatives are reviewed with regard to their impact on employed caregivers’ productivity in the workplace and on their personal well‐being. Several private employee assistance programs and the supportive services they offer to help employees with elder care commitments are then described. Finally, guidelines and considerations that have been cited in the literature as constructive ways to develop and manage elder care programs in the workplace are offered to serve as a guide for gerontologists in shaping the development of corporate responses to the needs of employees caring for older relatives.

IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY RECREATION ACTIVITIES FOR OLDER ADULTS RESIDING IN NURSING HOMES: CONSIDERATIONS FOR GERONTOLOGISTS

This article is intended to facilitate gerontologists’ efforts to promote a better understanding among nursing home professionals and the public of the importance of providing nursing home residents with quality recreation and activity programs. Research literature is first reviewed that documents the positive impact of participation in recreational activities on nursing home residents’ functional abilities and quality of life. An intervention project is then described that provided activity staff with program design information specific to the psychosocial well‐being of residents and their levels of mental and physical functioning.

EXPLORING AGE INTEGRATION IN THE UNIVERSITY CLASSROOM: MIDDLE AGE AND YOUNGER STUDENTS’ EDUCATIONAL MOTIVES AND INSTRUCTIONAL PREFERENCES

A sample of 141 predominately working class middle age (X = 53.03 years; SD = 6.92) and young adult (X = 21.34 years; SD = 3.65) university students responded to a survey instrument that assessed motives for enrolling in university classes and reactions to instructional strategies commonly used in the classroom. Results indicated that middle age and younger students’ motives for enrolling in university classes were intrinsic in nature and based on needs for intellectual growth and self‐development. In addition, findings revealed that younger students viewed learning life adjustment skills as a more powerful motivator for pursuing advanced education than did middle age students (p < .01). Both age groups of students were found to have similar attitudes about the effectiveness of teaching techniques presently used in the university classroom. Middle age and younger students reported positive reactions to the use of hands‐on‐experiences, lectures with discussions, and the lecture‐only format and negative rea...