Educating Teachers and Multipliers for Future Work with the Elderly and the Role of Motivational Workshops for the Elderly’s Future Participation in ICT Training Courses

The aim of this article was to find potential connection between positive experiences from ICT training courses gained by teachers and multipliers and their ability to affect elderly people‟s willingness to learn ICT skills and motivate them for future participation in ICT training courses through motivational workshops. Within the study the authors focus on the evaluation of the ICT training courses for teachers and multipliers and the motivational workshops for the elderly. The data obtained was quantitative and analyzed using SPSS software. The authors found a significant correlation between the number of possibilities for discussion provided during the ICT training courses for teachers and multipliers and the opinion that, from an overall perspective, the course helped the participants to be more sensitized to intergenerational issues and so understand the elderly people better. Similarly, the authors found significant correlation between the number of discussion possibilities during the motivational workshops for elderly and the level of interest in participation in future ICT training courses. The study showed that individuals who work in a teaching/learning process with elderly people need to be properly trained to be able to transfer knowledge and motivation to the elderly. Motivational workshops for the elderly should focus on individualized University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences; University of Eastern Finland, Department of Health and Social Management. e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] 2 University of Eastern Finland, Department of Health and Social Management. e-mail: [email protected] University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences. e-mail: [email protected] Article Info: Received : December 20, 2012. Revised : February 6, 2013. Published online : March 31, 2013 Helena Blažun, Kaija Saranto and Janez Vošner 26 learning methods which positively affect elderly‟s future motivation to learn ICT skills.