Conference article

With the changing population structure, “aging” and “declining birth rate” have become hot topics in recent years. Much attention has been paid to the interactions between the old generation and the young generation. In order to bridge the gap between them, the idea of intergenerational learning is applied in activities to realize the goal. With an in-depth study on the relationship between a group of elder and a group of the child, this paper finds out their satisfaction on the intergenerational learning activities and feelings about each other based on Likert Scale. Moreover, the paper determines interview outlines with semi-structured interview method, and in-depth interviews are made to understand opinions and feelings of participants. Next, the results are analyzed. The nonverbal behaviors and actions of the elder and the child are observed, recorded and analyzed, which is integrated into a form. In addition, verbal data are collected and analyzed to discuss the feasibility of intergenerational activities, and how the elder and the child feel about each other.

This study has four results. First, intergenerational activities help shorten the distance of the elder and the child. Second, the child can change their views on the elder and they become friends. Third, such intergenerational learning activities can bridge the gap between two generations. Fourth, the fact that the child learns from life experiences of their elder gives the latter a sense of accomplishment. The results of this study can be used as a reference for intergenerational interaction in industrial planning, and point out effects of intergenerational learning activities.

Aging, Intergenerational learning, Interaction, Life experience activities