Increasing the Power of Intergenerational Programs: Advancing an Evaluation Tool

Abstract

Intergenerational practitioners responding to a 2018 national survey identified a need for evidence-informed evaluation tools to measure program impact. The Best Practices (BP) Checklist, a 14-item (yes/no) measure assessing the extent to which an intergenerational program session maintained effective intergenerational strategies, may help meet this need. Yet, researchers have not validated the measure. In this study, we begin the empirical validation process by completing an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the BP Checklist to offer insight into possible item reduction and an underlying latent factor structure. Using BP Checklist data from 132 intergenerational activities, we found a 13-item, 3-factor structure, reflecting dimensions of: (a) pairing intergenerational participants, (b) person-centered strategies (e.g., selecting activities reflecting participants’ interests), and (c) staff knowledge of participants. Our study represents a foundational step toward optimizing intergenerational program evaluation, thereby enhancing programming quality.

Program Practices Predict Intergenerational Interaction Among Children and Adults

“…Observers documented intergenerational activities using the BP Checklist and included the date, the number of child and adult participants and staff, and which BPs were used by activity leaders over the course of the activity (indicated by yes or no responses). A recent factor analysis of BP checklists completed in the current study revealed a 13-item, three-factor solution across intergenerational programming of varied content ( Jarrott, Turner et al, 2021 ). The factor sum scores were used as predictors in our analyses.…”

“…Our findings offer a useful contribution to the field as practitioners seek resources to train activity leaders and measure the impact of intergenerational programming on participants ( Jarrott & Lee, in press ). Taken together with other analyses of this data set ( Jarrott, Turner et al, 2021 ; Juckett et al, 2021 ; Weaver et al, 2019 ), we refined the BP Checklist ( Jarrott et al, 2019 ) and crafted a complimentary continuing education course ( Jarrott, Juris et al, 2021 ) that supports activity leaders’ ability to adopt evidence-based practices. Our work builds upon and is supported by other intergenerational leaders (e.g., Generations United; Generations Working Together) who champion thoughtful practice grounded in evidence for intergenerational program success.…”

“…Analyzing whether implementation of these practices facilitates more intergenerational interaction can offer justification for their use in intergenerational programming and provide evidence-based guiding principles for activity leaders. In this study, we analyze how BPs grouped together into the three factors identified by Jarrott, Turner et al (2021) are associated with a greater session-by-session percentage of intergenerational participation among child and adult participants, as indicated through the IOS.…”

“…Variability in the frequency of each practice being implemented led Juckett et al to suggest that greater fidelity might be achieved with modifications to the model or its delivery method. An exploratory factor analysis of the same observational data of activity leaders’ implementation of these practices during intergenerational programming illustrated three dimensions of practice: (a) promoting participant pairing, (b) environment-centered strategies, and (c) staff knowledge of participants ( Jarrott, Turner et al, 2021 ). These dimensions may prove critical to the practice model and should be tested for their association with program participant outcomes.…”

“…Practices that emerged from this line of inquiry by Jarrott et al (2019 ; Jarrott, Turner et al, 2021 ; Juckett et al, 2021 ), such as attending to environmental features and incorporating participants’ cultures and experiences into programming, were echoed in a systematic scoping review of practices that influence measured intergenerational program outcomes ( Jarrott, Scrivano et al, 2021 ). For example, practices related to offering meaningful, age-appropriate roles and incorporating mechanisms of friendship among intergenerational participants were represented across several studies.…”