The entry of aged society is faster in Korea than any other countries and it causes a lot of the aged problem at present. The subject of preparing counterplan for the problem and solving it is current high school students and it is very important to e...
The entry of aged society is faster in Korea than any other countries and it causes a lot of the aged problem at present. The subject of preparing counterplan for the problem and solving it is current high school students and it is very important to examine their attitude toward the aged. However, as current high school students have less opportunity to contact with the aged including grandparents because of the entrance examination and the trend toward the nuclear family, unlike the past; therefore it is difficult to have right view of the aged, also may have a fixed idea negatively.
This study examined the attitude of high school students toward the aged, variables that affect the knowledge related to aging and its effect.
It was conducted survey on high school students in Seoul from August 5, 2005 to 15 for preliminary investigation and from March 3, 2006 to 21 for main investigation. It was distributed a total of 600 questionnaires and analyzed 502 of them for final data.
Data was analyzed with frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, confidence coefficient (Cronbach's α), factor analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, subsequent verification of Duncan and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 12.0 program.
The results of this study were summarized as follows:
1) The attitude toward the aged was relatively affirmative in self-management ability in both boys and girls; the attitude for physical characteristics showed a negative tendency. Girls were affirmative in self-management ability and boys were positive in physical characteristics. In character feature, they had negative attitude in the item, which the aged is eccentric and stingy so it is difficult to treat them, for girls and in the item, which the aged is stubborn, for boys. In emotion feature, girls had positive attitude in the item that the aged wants comfort and warm feeling, love and stability; boys had affirmative attitude in the item that the aged represent a symbol of dignity and respect. In physical feature, girls showed negative attitude in that the aged are lonely and pity and positive attitude in the item that the aged try to maintain their heath or to prevent aging and look younger than their age in self-management ability.
2) In the attitude toward the aged by variables related grandparents, high school students were very affirmative in the effect of such contact by seeing them 1 or more per week and calling them 1-2 times monthly. Also, if they satisfy to live together with grandparents, it indicates a positive attitude. Students who see 1 or more per week showed positive attitude in character and emotional feature; students who call them 1-2 times monthly had affirmative attitude in emotional feature. In addition, as grandchildren feel more positive toward such contact with grandparents, they showed affirmative attitude in the aspect of character, emotion and decision ability; and only if students satisfy to live together with grandparents, it linked to positive attitude toward the aged including their grandparents.
3) In the knowledge related to aging by gender, whole correct answer rate was significant higher in girls than in boys; both boys and girls showed relatively high answer rate in the item that as aged, people get narrow working range, think much of properties than family, and loss the five senses. On the other hand, they had low correct answer rate in the question that woman live 3 years more on average than man, that income of the aged is under government-stipulated poverty line and that ask about exact amount. And there was low correct answer rate in the item that people close to religion by age. In the case of girls, they had higher correct answer rate than boys in the question that the aged regard properties as important than family; that dementia is natural phenomenon of aging; that height get less by age; that the number of the single aged is similar in both male and female; that social activities are ended with retirement; and that working range get narrow by age. However, boys had higher correct answer rate than girls only in the item that woman live 3 year more on average.
4) The difference of the knowledge related to ageing by variables related grandparents was significant only in the period of living together, in turn, 10 years or more, 5-10 years, less than 1 year, 1-4 years.
5) The difference of the attitude toward the aged by the knowledge related to ageing was that the attitude is affirmative by much knowledge only in decision ability.
6) In the satisfaction of experience with grandparents, when students themselves satisfy the experience, the attitude was positive. It showed that girls had positive attitude than boys. In the effect of contact with grandparents on relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, as grandchildren think positively, the attitude was affirmative toward the aged.
In order to that high school students correctly learn the knowledge related to aging and keep positive relationship with the aged, school may provide a variety of information through curriculum; as the relationship with grandparents affect students a lot, it requires regular contact even indirectly if they are difficult to meet grandparents directly. Besides the education in school, they should be provided various opportunities that help to understand the aged in right way and to recognize them close being, not anymore far being through voluntary service and experience with the aged. Finally, high school students in Korea are more than average in the attitude toward the aged and the knowledge related to aging; however, they have less interest in the aged during survey. Further, it requires the development of various investigation methods and subsequent studies considering the subjects.