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A cross-cultural analysis of perception on ageist attitudes between Korean and American social work students

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Korean Social Science Journal

Abstract

This study examined whether there are differences in ageist attitudes toward a person who is struggling from terminal illness between Korean and American social work major students at the undergraduate level. A total of 137 college students participated in this study: 66 Korean students in South Korea and 71 American students in the United States. The students were given surveys with an identical case but the subject was either a 38-year-old or an 80-year-old woman, and they answered 16 questions regarding their perception of age and death, end-of-life options, assessment and intervention, and values and ethics to care. The finding showed that there were generally negative ageist attitudes among social work students regardless of their cultural background, though there were some differences in their basic ageist attitudes. The findings suggest that social work students at the undergraduate level need more education to resolve their negative ageist attitudes in order to provide effective service for the older population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA

    Hee Soon Lee

  2. Yuseong Gu Senior Center, Daejeon, South Korea

    Hwan Suk Jung

  3. University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA

    Alicia Sumner

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  1. Hee Soon Lee
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  2. Hwan Suk Jung
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  3. Alicia Sumner
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Correspondence to Hee Soon Lee.

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Lee, H.S., Jung, H.S. & Sumner, A. A cross-cultural analysis of perception on ageist attitudes between Korean and American social work students. Korean Soc Sci J 42, 25–37 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40483-015-0021-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40483-015-0021-1

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