Presents examples of the life experiences of older women from 75 literary works. Provides a thematic content analysis and suggestions for curriculum development. Appendices list the 75 citations, 8 anthologies on aging and literature, and 26 bibliographers. (Contains 36 references.) (SK)

Research concerning reading interests of older adults indicates that they do not enjoy science fiction, depressing books, books that contain sex or violence, or books that have confusing plots or many characters. They have greater needs for materials which keep them creative and functioning at maximum capability. (Author)

Research dealing with reading interests, habits, and problems of the older reader has been primarily a tangential result of surveys concerned with reading activities of the general population. The studies reviewed were selected to give an overview of existing research with suggestions for future investigation. (Author)

Discusses the latest research findings and includes teaching strategies successful with aged readers. Exploration of appropriate reading materials and teaching strategies needs to be performed. Educational needs and interests of the elderly need to be identified so that reading programs offered actually are attended. (Author)

Examines the potential of early retirement programs as a means of adjusting to the needs for a steady state staffing pattern during the next decade and beyond. Even though early retirement does not seem encouraging, tentative recommendations are offered for its effective use. (Author)

Presents issues and concerns in education for the older adult. Issues considered are an overview of the aged population, adult education and the older adult, and the older adult's ability to learn. A review of the literature with thoughts for future research is presented. (Author/BEF)

Reviews research on the effects of educational programs on the subjective well-being of older adults. Describes the constructs of happiness, morale, and life satisfaction by specifying their location on temporal, cognitive, and affective dimensions. Recommends outcome measures and research designs for assessing and upgrading educational…

Reviews the literature on short-term educational programs on death and dying and aging to offer practitioners some guidance for efficiently structuring programs to bring about desired changes. From 15 selected studies, the length and type of treatment and the nature of the target group involved are reviewed. (Author/JAC)

Reviews literature dealing with tuition waiver programs for older adults. The methodology, scope and focus of the research are discussed. The findings generally agree that enrollments of older students have increased with tuition waiver programs but the impact has not been universally outstanding. Support services for senior students are needed.…

Discusses findings from studies in the psychology of aging and relates them to findings reported in the literature of adult education and art education to generate guidelines for teaching art. Suggestions are made for approaching the elderly student as a single type and for accommodating for differences within the group. (Author)

Participation in educational activities brings disadvantaged older adults relief from conditions that aggravate their situation, and is instrumental in preventing intellectual decline, increasing self-confidence and enhancing the quality of life. Increased participation occurs when programs involve instrumental learning and take place in community…

It is paradoxical that analog tasks are used in learning and memory studies of aging when older groups are less responsive or may terminate participation when faced with what they believe are meaningless stimuli or trivial tasks. Research with meaningful prose materials is recommended. (Author/BEF)

Contemporary literature treats old age pessimistically. Literary portrayals emphasize the difficulty of living a meaningful life when self-worth and the will to live are undermined by the way the old are treated. The isolated elderly live lives without pleasure or hope. (Author)

Reviews the influence of educational level on the intellectual performance of elderly individuals. Older individuals have more intellectual potential than previously has been reported. As cohorts receive greater educational opportunities, the negative stereotype of intellectual deterioration with age will no longer be accurate. (Author)

Reviews and analyzes studies conducted on functional literacy among older adults. The results indicate conceptual confusion, an obviously undereducated older population, inadequate measurements, and samples with disproportionate percentages of older persons. Conclusions indicate the need for educational gerontologists to increase efforts at…