Innovative Teaching Strategies in Geriatric Health Education for Older Adults: A Pilot Study
Keywords:
digital health, self-care, healthy agingAbstract
Purpose: As the global population continues to age, effective geriatric health education has become increasingly important for promoting healthy aging and preventing chronic diseases. However, age-related cognitive decline and limited digital literacy may pose challenges to older adults’ learning. Therefore, this pilot study investigated the effectiveness of innovative teaching strategies in geriatric health education for older adults by integrating interactive learning activities and an interactive response system within the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework.
Methods: A one-group design was adopted. Eleven older adults enrolled in a university-based lifelong learning program in Taiwan participated in the study. Learning effectiveness, learning motivation, and technology acceptance were assessed using validated questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results: Participants showed significant improvements in learning effectiveness following the intervention (p = 0.003). Learning motivation also increased significantly (p = 0.026), particularly in the dimensions of tension-pressure and perceived competence, while technology acceptance improved significantly (p = 0.003). These findings suggest that innovative teaching strategies integrating interactive teaching and an interactive response system within the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework can effectively enhance learning effectiveness, motivation, and technology acceptance among older adults.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the innovative teaching methods developed for health education programs targeting older adults offer significant advantages, helping to promote healthy aging and raise awareness of preventive health care among older adults. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate their long-term effects.
