Jennifer (Peelen) Plue

She/her

Education: Bachelor of Science in family studies and gerontology (August 2015)

McNair Project: Benefits of Intergenerational Activities for Older Adults and Children (2015)

Mentors: Gayle Doll, Ph.D., and Migette Kaup, Ph.D.

The purpose of this pilot study was to take a fresh look at Intergenerational Programs and observe what they could offer both Children and Older Adults, in hopes of coming across a trend, pattern, or new observation that could inspire future research for graduate school. The Intergenerational (IG) Program was observed for two non-consecutive weeks, and notes were taken from live observations of IG activities and archival data, as well as semi-structured interviews with residents, family members, and parents of children. Recurring situations observed from the nearly 400 observations and five interviews included activities based around Teaching and/or Learning (116), Relationship Building (223), and instances of Joy (299). Unexpected observations included the level of modeling of a sense of community, and the participation, enjoyment and benefit of those other than the intended participants.