Comparative effectiveness of virtual versus in-person delivery of an intergenerational service-learning program to change knowledge, attitudes and ageism

This study evaluated the comparative effectiveness of a virtual intergenerational service-learning program to the same program delivered in-person. A pre-test/posttest quasi-experimental design using a convenience sample of undergraduate college students in Psychology of Aging classes compared posttest scores between those participating via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 109) to those participating in-person prior to the pandemic (N = 69). The Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ) Multiple-Choice version, Aging Semantic Differential (ASD), and Fraboni Scale on Ageism (FSA) were administered. The Lives Well Lived program was based on a documentary film of the same name about successful aging and involved five learning encounters either in-person or virtually in which students and older adults interviewed one another about living a life well lived. Multiple regression showed that at posttest, the in-person group had a significantly lower score than the virtual group on the FSA total score (β = −7.122, p = .002), as well as on all subscales including Antilocution (β = −3.533, p < .00), Discrimination (β = −1.82, p = .021), and Avoidance (β = −1.808, p = .028). Compared to virtually, in-person delivery of the Lives Well Lived program seemed more effective in decreasing ageism among student participants but otherwise equivalent in effects on knowledge and attitudes about aging. This difference was possibly due to the relational intimacy embedded in the in-person program. Despite college students’ comfort with technology, intergenerational relationships may thrive most when engaged in face-to-face, potentially increasing interest in gerontology.