ERIC Number: EJ1132612
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0360-1277
EISSN: N/A
Student Participation in a Dementia-Outreach Research Project as Community-Based Experiential Learning
Choi, Sora; Park, Myonghwa
Educational Gerontology, v43 n4 p186-197 2017
People with dementia (PWD) and their family caregivers need an increasing number of diverse health and social services. A multidisciplinary person-centered approach to dementia services is required to meet the complex needs of PWD and their family caregivers. However, educational programs struggle to prepare health and social work students to meet the complex needs of PWD and their family caregivers. This study aimed to assess the self-efficacy, competence, target complaints, and attitudes regarding interactions with PWD and their family caregivers among healthcare and social work students who participated in a large community dementia-outreach research project. A one-group pretest and posttest design was used to collect data from 23 undergraduate students studying nursing, public health, or social work. Students participated in a community dementia-outreach research project as an extracurricular activity. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a pre- and post-participation self-report questionnaire. Students showed increased self-efficacy and competence after project participation. Students' perceived barriers to interacting with PWD and their family caregivers decreased. In answering open-ended questions, students showed enhanced understanding of PWD and their family caregivers, positive attitudes toward dementia care, and a career preference for dementia care. Findings provided evidence of the benefits of community-research-project participation as an experiential learning tool to enhance dementia care among health and social work students.
Descriptors: Student Participation, Dementia, Research Projects, Experiential Learning, Outreach Programs, Social Services, Caregivers, Positive Attitudes, Social Work, Self Efficacy, Pretests Posttests, Undergraduate Students, Nursing Education, Public Health, Qualitative Research, Statistical Analysis, Foreign Countries, Questionnaires
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Korea
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A