Page 123 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 1-2: Etika in šola, ur. Marjan Šimenc in Mitja Sardoč
P. 123
d. lahe, j. goriup ■ the role of knowledge about aging
The population of 15-19 The selected sample The selected model
years old2 without weights with weights
Male (%) 43 25 43.2
Female (%) 57 75 56.8
Total 100 100 100
Figure 1: A comparison of the characteristics of young people by gen-
der with the weighted and nonweighted case2
Instruments
For the measurement of ageism, we used 11 variables from the Fraboni
Scale of Ageism (Fraboni, et al., 1990; Rupp et al., 2005): “A lot of older
people are mean and hang on to their money and property”; “Many elder
ly people can not be trusted to take care of babies”; “Many older people are
happier when they are in the company of people their own age”; “Many ol
der people have poor personal hygiene”; “Teen suicide is more tragic than
suicide among the elderly”; “Sometimes I avoid eye contact with older pe
ople”; “It is best for older people to live where they do not disturb anybo
dy”; “It is sad to hear about the suffering of older people in Slovenian soci
ety”; “Older people should be encouraged to express their political point
of view”; “Driving licenses should not be renewed for most elderly peo
ple”; “I would rather not live with an older person” and “Older people do
not need a lot of money to meet their needs.” Respondents to the four-le
vel scale expressed agreement or disagreement with each of the 11 claims
(1 = strongly disagree to 4 = totally agree). The adequacy of this composi
te variable was confirmed to have a satisfactory level of internal consisten
cy (α = 0.70).
The basis of the knowledge measurement about aging is Palmore’s
“Facts on Aging Quiz” (Palmore, 1977), containing 25 (correct and in
correct) statements, which measures actual level of knowledge about ag
ing. The measurement scale was modified in accordance with the needs
of the Slovenian population, by which 10 relevant arguments were select
ed. For each correct answer, respondents get one point, so they can collect
a maximum of 10 points. It was assumed that respondents who collected
from 0 to 4 points had “poor” knowledge about aging; those with 5 to 7
points had ‘average’ knowledge, and respondents with 8 to 10 points, good
knowledge about aging.
The following answers are considered correct: “The five senses (sight,
hearing, taste, touch, smell) all tend to weaken in old age)”, “Older peo
ple usually take longer to learn something new”, “The elderly tend to react
2 We acquired the data from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
121
The population of 15-19 The selected sample The selected model
years old2 without weights with weights
Male (%) 43 25 43.2
Female (%) 57 75 56.8
Total 100 100 100
Figure 1: A comparison of the characteristics of young people by gen-
der with the weighted and nonweighted case2
Instruments
For the measurement of ageism, we used 11 variables from the Fraboni
Scale of Ageism (Fraboni, et al., 1990; Rupp et al., 2005): “A lot of older
people are mean and hang on to their money and property”; “Many elder
ly people can not be trusted to take care of babies”; “Many older people are
happier when they are in the company of people their own age”; “Many ol
der people have poor personal hygiene”; “Teen suicide is more tragic than
suicide among the elderly”; “Sometimes I avoid eye contact with older pe
ople”; “It is best for older people to live where they do not disturb anybo
dy”; “It is sad to hear about the suffering of older people in Slovenian soci
ety”; “Older people should be encouraged to express their political point
of view”; “Driving licenses should not be renewed for most elderly peo
ple”; “I would rather not live with an older person” and “Older people do
not need a lot of money to meet their needs.” Respondents to the four-le
vel scale expressed agreement or disagreement with each of the 11 claims
(1 = strongly disagree to 4 = totally agree). The adequacy of this composi
te variable was confirmed to have a satisfactory level of internal consisten
cy (α = 0.70).
The basis of the knowledge measurement about aging is Palmore’s
“Facts on Aging Quiz” (Palmore, 1977), containing 25 (correct and in
correct) statements, which measures actual level of knowledge about ag
ing. The measurement scale was modified in accordance with the needs
of the Slovenian population, by which 10 relevant arguments were select
ed. For each correct answer, respondents get one point, so they can collect
a maximum of 10 points. It was assumed that respondents who collected
from 0 to 4 points had “poor” knowledge about aging; those with 5 to 7
points had ‘average’ knowledge, and respondents with 8 to 10 points, good
knowledge about aging.
The following answers are considered correct: “The five senses (sight,
hearing, taste, touch, smell) all tend to weaken in old age)”, “Older peo
ple usually take longer to learn something new”, “The elderly tend to react
2 We acquired the data from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
121
