The Role of Intergenerational Service-Learning on University Students' Professional Socialization in Hong Kong

Population ageing has been becoming a global concern and Hong Kong is no exception. As people age, their physical condition is more likely to consistently decrease, followed by an increase in the psychological disorders, and a decrease in the social and emotional relationship. In response to these ageing issues, the development of intergenerational incentives has gained prominence among different stakeholders in Hong Kong, especially focusing on active ageing and healthy ageing. In particular, intergenerational service-learning, as one of the intergenerational incentives, has been widely implemented in the university’s curriculum in Hong Kong, which puts academic classroom learning and community service together. An array of studies has not only illustrated how intergenerational service-learning benefit the well-being of the elderly people in Hong Kong, but also demonstrated its role on students’ knowledge transfer and learning experiences. University students put their employment and career development as the first priority, but limited literature has investigated how intergenerational service-learning play a role on these two aspects in Hong Kong. Hence, this research would like to take the chance to fill this research gap by examining the effectiveness of intergenerational service-learning on university students’ professional socialization in Hong Kong, particular in the aspects of attitudes, skills, knowledge and values, thereby critically reflecting how Hong Kong’s story tell us global insights. In this qualitative study, we interviewed 10 undergraduate students from Lingnan University and the Education University of Hong Kong, who have participated in the intergenerational service-learning related courses. The results show that although all the interviewees agreed that their attitudes, knowledge and skills had been professional socialized after attending the intergenerational service-learning, their career plan cannot be changed.