Education through cinema in old age: A participatory action research

Abstract

Critical educational gerontology aims to pave the way for individual andcollective transformation, empowerment, and emancipation througha participatory approach that emphasizes the active involvement of olderadults in learning processes. The use of cinema as an educational tool isfunctional in supporting lasting learning, and promoting emotional learningamong learners. This study aimed to develop a course on aging and societythat actively engaged students by integrating cinema into the educationalprocess at Tazelenme University (TU), a Third Age University model in Turkey.A participatory action research was conducted to explore the students’experiences. A participatory education program was implemented with 20students aged 60 and over from a TU in Turkey. The program consisted of sixtheoretical lectures and six film screenings. After each screening, groupdiscussion sessions were held, followed by the administration ofa structured questionnaire to the students. Some TU students served asassistant researchers and contributed to the organization of the activities.After the implementation of the planned program, two focus group inter-views were conducted with the participants. Data from structured formswere analyzed through content analysis, while focus group data were exam-ined using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the film screeningssupported students’ active participation in the learning process and contrib-uted to the development of their critical thinking skills. In this respect, thestudy offers valuable insights into designing critical and participatory meth-ods to enhance the learning experiences of older adults in TUs in Turkey.