Gerontological training programs offered by Latin American universities: Number, characteristics, and disciplinary contents

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017

Authors

Villar, Feliciano (Author) Other; Giuliani, María Florencia (Author) Other; Serrat, Rodrigo (Author) Other; Curcio, Carmen-Lucía (Author) Other; Lopes, Alexandra (Author) FLUP; Martínez Maldonado, María de la Luz (Author) Other; Oliveira, Rita da Cássia (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Educational Gerontology

Vol. 43 No. 5

Pages: 238-247

ISSN: 0360-1277

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

Scopus

ProQuest

Pubmed / Medline

EBSCO

Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)

Scientific classification

CORDIS: Social sciences

Other information

DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2017.1281032

Abstract (EN): One of the challenges of population aging is to ensure that there are enough trained professionals to meet the changing, specific needs of aging populations. The aim of this study was to describe the number, geographical distribution, and general characteristics of gerontological training programs offered by Latin American universities and to analyze their disciplinary content and the degree of similarity among programs. One hundred undergraduate and postgraduate programs with gerontological content were found to be offered by Latin American universities. Information on the institutional affiliation, academic level, management, length, and content of the programs was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were run and content analysis was performed on the programs¿ syllabuses to address the objectives of the study. Results show that despite being a relatively young region of the world, the majority of Latin American universities offer gerontological programs. However, the nature of this course offering seems to be quite diverse across countries. Moreover, the analysis of the programs¿ disciplinary content indicates that the program providers take a multidisciplinary approach to gerontology. The great diversity of programs and their multidisciplinary contents suggest a low degree of standardization of gerontological training in Latin America.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific