Learning better from real lives: Integrating life-reviews in psychology and education related courses

A challenge in understanding human development from a life-span perspective in university-level psychology and education courses lies in the limited life experience associated with our students’ age, most of whom are young adults. Conducting life-review interviews with older adults could help students to deepen their understanding of the theories and key concepts related to human development by analyzing their interviewees’ life stories from a life-span perspective. This project aims to develop an e-learning package using multimedia resources to guide students to conduct life-review interviews and creatively present the interviewees’ life stories. The effectiveness of the e-learning package was empirically tested using a mixed design. One hundred and twenty-two students were recruited from psychology and education related courses and assigned be either the experimental group or the control group. The e-learning package was provided to the experimental group to assist their learning. All participants completed a survey both before and after their course work. The experimental group gained a significant improvement on higher-order thinking skills, students’ attitude, and attitude towards ageing compared to the control group. Focus group interview further revealed that the life-review experience helped students strengthen their relationships with their interviewees and deepen their learning of the course content.