Open Master Thesis Carolyn Henzi.Pdf

The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES IN CHILE A Thesis in Agricultural and Extension Education by Carolyn Mariel Henzi Plaza © 2020 Carolyn Mariel Henzi Plaza Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science December 2020 The thesis of Carolyn Mariel Henzi Plaza was reviewed and approved by the following: Matthew Kaplan Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education Intergenerational Programs and Aging, College of Agricultural Sciences. Thesis Advisor Nicole Webster Associate Professor of Youth and International Development and African Studies. Director of the 2iE-Penn State Centre for Collaborative Engagement in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Comparative and International Education Faculty (CIED), College of Education John Holst Associate Professor of Education, College of Education Mark Brennan Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community, Leadership, and Youth Development Director of Graduate Studies, Agricultural and Extension Education and Applied Youth, Family, and Community Education iii ABSTRACT The 21st century faces sociodemographic, educational, and economic challenges associated with the global increase in older adult populations and a decrease in the number of children. National and international organizations have called for spaces for all ages, with more age-inclusive policies and support services. Here, the concept of intergenerational (IG) solidarity is seen as a crucial element in the development and wellbeing of all generations (Stuckelberger & Vikat, 2007; WHO, 2007). Chile is not exempt from this call for paying increased attention to the needs of the young and the old. During the last few decades, public policies and programs have been developed to protect and provide opportunities for both older adults and children to increase their social participation and interaction, and to empower them in the exercise of their rights. In tandem with other countries, Chile has established some intergenerational programs to provide support services for children, families, and older adults. Yet, there is little information about these initiatives; up-to-date reports regarding the current state of IG programming and program outcomes are rare. For these reasons, the purpose of this study is to identify the IG programs sponsored by the Chilean government and to describe them in terms of structure and functioning. This study addresses the following questions: 1) What government-sponsored intergenerational programs exist in Chile? 2) How are they organized in terms of structure and functioning? 3) To what degree do Chilean government-sponsored intergenerational programs reflect “effective practices” as defined in the intergenerational studies literature? iv This study takes an exploratory-descriptive qualitative approach organized in two-phases. During phase I, a web-based search across 24 Chilean ministries and other official governmental websites was used to identify and collect basic information about the full range of government-sponsored IG programs. In phase II, a selection of (n=12) administrators, staff, and program participants, all associated with five government- sponsored IG programs carried out under three ministries and framed under two public policies and social projects, were interviewed between June-July 2019. In-depth information gathered about program operations from these interviews, complemented with a review of archival data of the programs, was used to create program profiles along eight indicators: 1) Program Planning, 2) Program Strategic Partnerships, 3) Program Financing, 4) Program Implementation, 5) Program Evaluation, 6) Program Impact, 7) Program Dissemination and 8) Program Limitations and Challenges. In term of program design, most of the respondents noted some flexibility in terms of allowing for input from local program staff and participants, with varying degrees of flexibility, cultural curriculum adaptations, and active strategic partnerships to achieve program goals. All of the programs provide at least basic orientation sessions for participants and introductory training sessions for staff. In terms of IG relationship dynamics, all the programs reported active communication and relationship formation between participants, their families, and the program staff. Mutual learning and deep emotional bonds between participating children and seniors were reported in long-cycle programs. Parental involvement was identified as an essential factor especially in education-based programs. Several limitations and challenges in how programs function were identified; these were primarily tied to issues related to governmental bureaucracy, inconsistent funding, and an insufficient amount of staff to ramp up program operations. Another disadvantageous factor was the relative scarcity of intergenerational perspectives at the ministerial level for crafting human service and educational programs that could simultaneously engage, serve, and leverage synergies between multiple generations. v Regarding efforts to determine the “effectiveness” of program practices, this study drew upon standards of quality and common elements of effective practice as described by Rosebrook & Larkin (2003) and others. The most significant high-quality practices reflected in these programs were: demonstration of a basic level of knowledge about principles of human development across the life span, efforts to promote ongoing communication and relationship formation among program participants, demonstration of a commitment to collaboration and partnership, and the incorporation of skills and perspectives rooted in multiple disciplines and academic traditions. As a first conclusion, this study highlights that for IG programming in Chile, there is a substantial capacity and interest in maintaining and even growing the IG field in terms of accommodative IG public policy and continued program support. Second, the programs explored have structural and operational differences. There were some inconsistencies, for example, in the degree to which staff at the local level perceived and embraced evaluation processes, thereby suggesting that more staff training in this area could be useful in facilitating systematic data collection and application. Finally, when considering the totality of research findings, the explored programs demonstrate a level of effective practice that is fairly reflective of program quality standards in the areas of program planning, development and implementation, as articulated in the IG studies literature. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................... xii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 1.1. Problem Statement ......................................................................................... 1 1.2. Rationale & Purpose of the Study ................................................................. 3 1.3. Research Questions ....................................................................................... 5 1.4. Significance of the Study ............................................................................... 5 1.5. Operational Definitions ................................................................................. 5 1.6. Contextualization of the Research Site .......................................................... 7 1.6.1. Chile ............................................................................................................ 7 1.6.2. The Government of Chile ........................................................................... 7 1.6.3. Ministries of Chile ...................................................................................... 8 1.6.4. Chilean Policies related to Intergenerational Practice ................................ 9 1.7. Summary ........................................................................................................ 10 Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 11 2.1. Overview ....................................................................................................... 11 2.2. Intergenerational Programs as a Field of Study ............................................ 11 2.3. Intergenerational Programming ..................................................................... 13 2.4. Categorization of Intergenerational Programs ............................................... 16 vii 2.5. Intergenerational Solidarity as a key element in Intergenerational Programs and Practices .................................................................................. 19 2.6. Justification of Intergenerational Programs and Practices ............................ 20 2.7. Impact of Intergenerational Programs on Participants .................................. 23 2.7.1. Impact on children and youth ..................................................................... 23 2.7.2. Impact on seniors ........................................................................................ 23 2.7.3. Impact on participants’ families and beyond .............................................

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