Elderly Citizens Adapting to the Computerized World - Assignment Example

Elderly Citizens Adapting to the Computerized World Elderly Citizens Adapting to the Computerized World Introduction The current world is transforming almost all sectors to be computerized. The world population is therefore faced by a challenge of making sure that everybody is conversant with computers. Some difficulties are experienced when the elderly citizens are trying to acquire some computer knowledge. My research is going to highlight these challenges and try to illustrate ways in which this situation can be corrected. Research Problem In some learning situations conducted, 56% of old people preferred books, while only 30% saw the essence of electronic learning materials. The problem that this research is seeking to solve is the difficulty faced by elderly citizens when they are trying to adjust to new technologies in the world today (Dix, 2012). This problem come a long various challenges which affect the ability of the senior citizens to advanced technology further. For instance, there is inaccessibility of computer skills by these elderly folks pushing them to decide to remain with old technology. The old folks find it hard to acquire computer knowledge that is necessary for the technological advancements. The current world requires every person to have an idea of the computer skills so as to be able to cope with the technological advancements (Dyck, 2014).The elderly blame some functional limitations such as poor vision on new technology, while the young embrace it as part of nature. History Even though there is much need for adjustment of every citizen to the new technologies, senior citizens are left behind. A study done by Tech-savvy in 2013 revealed that 57% of senior residents is interested at remotely-controlled health which is only possible with online medic-care. The elderly citizens complain that they find it difficult to change what they are used to operating with. Complains are basically due to lack of training and educating of these old folks on the technological improvements. Back in the days there were no clear studies on computers and the internet thus most of the elderly do not have the necessary knowledge needed for the advancements (Browne, 2011). Lack of these important skills has pushed these senior citizens to be resistant to changes in the technology since they believe they cannot cope with the new tactics. The problem is even made worse by reluctance of the relevant bodies and institutions to avail training of the elderly on matters involving the computers and internet use. The root of this research problem is from this end (Gregor & Newell, 2012). Objectives The core objective of this research is to determine those elderly citizens who are confident with the new technological use, and examine if it is impossible for the elderly citizens to adapt to the advancements related to the new technologies. Other objectives of this study include the following; To establish the technological changes that aged people can be able to use easily in an efficient manner. To determine the importance of these changes in the technology to the old individuals if they agree to use them in their daily activities. To determine the possible setbacks that are likely to be faced by the senior citizens as they are educated on the introduced innovations. To establish various ways in which the government and relevant bodies can get involved in ensuring the elderly in the society are involved in these technological advancements. My study would have fulfilled its accomplishment if appropriate ways in which the senior individuals in our society can be involved in the technological changes are established (Jounalists Resource, 2014). Research Design The design that this study is going to use is the ethnographic qualitative design which majors on the cultures and social lives of groups of people. Using this design for my study would entail learning the cultural beliefs these old citizens have that are hindering them from utilizing the new technologies in the world today. Ethnographic qualitative design is appropriate for this study since it would help in giving a deep understanding of the social behaviors of the population studied through observations (Kart, 2011). Fitting into the activities of these individuals is the best way to know them in details. The design will also give an empirical insight into the specific characteristics of the elderly in a more clear way by observing them (Karavidas & Lim,2014). Finally, this design reveals the social activities that are kept hidden by the population thus making it an appropriate method of having a detailed study. Participants The population that is going to be studied for this research is a group of 30 elderly individuals, both male and female. People aged from 65 years and above are the best for a study like this that entails looking into the senior citizens. Since the design for this study is ethnographic qualitative design, the observers for this research are going to move in to the social lives and cultures of this population for the stipulated period of study. From this point, these elderly individuals aged over 65 years are going to be studied in relation to the advancements in the technology (Karavidas & Lim, 2014). Since the population am going to study is small, the observers I would need for this research are not many. Assistances of two people will be enough to interview the small group of old individuals in my community in matters relating to computers and the internet. Generally, the participants for this study are few (Litwin, 2013). Participant Protocol This qualitative research is going to be conducted in an ethical manner. The participants are going to be allowed to give information out of their own will without coercion. Anonymity among the contributors of this piece of work is going to be maintained according to their wish. 30 elderly individuals are going to form the population for my study. All of them must be of 65 years of age and over to qualify to be participants in this study (Lux, 2011). The picked individuals will be those old folks who have not yet changed with the advancements in the field of technology. There are a lot of advantages that people who are not conversant with computers and the new technologies miss to enjoy (Dyck,2014). Soliciting of the willing participants of this research is going to be through informing them that they are to help find out the ways through which all the citizens would enjoy advanced technology. Research Location Metro Detroit area of Michigan is where this study is going to be based. Confidentiality is going to be one priority for this study. Some people may wish not to be revealed that they participated in specific researches thus their location and names would remain confidential (Woolf, 2012). The details of what the interviewees are expected to provide include their take of the new advancement in technology. They are to state some reasons why they find the innovations reliable or not appropriate for their daily activities. The participants are also going to state some factors that they consider responsible to their resistance to technological innovations. Observations are going to made on the current kind of life and operations that the senior citizens prefer and also how they try to adapt the new operations. Banks and hospitals that offer online facilities are going to be relied on to provide information on adaptability of the elderly. Consent must be sought for such data to be released. Researcher Issues There are factors that may compromise the reliability of a research conducted to solve some issue in the society. Among these issues is biasness which is the act of leaning on one side more than the other when making decisions or references for the study. Biasness is going to be avoided at any cost in this research by making sure that all the aspects of the study are well evaluated. For instance, the population picked must have both genders equally represented (Ogazalek, 2012). The participants must also involve people from all ends of the society. People from different economic levels are to participate. The rich and the less fortunate will be equally represented in the small population am going to use in my study. Since the expected number of participants is 30, this is going to be divided fairly between the genders considering the area populations. In cases where secondary data is to be used fairness will also be considered (Shapiro, 2012). Instrumentation Preparation of the instruments needed for my study is crucial in making me do the study without avoidable challenges in my work. The questions that are going to be asked revolve around the challenges that the elderly face when using new technologies (Ohio Department of Aging, 2013). They are also going to be asked to illustrate some reasons why they are resistant to these changes. These questions are going to be asked through oral interviews especially on Skype. However, some interviews may be done on a one-on-one basis depending on availability of the interviewees. Clarifications will be asked in cases where the answers that are issued are not open enough. Such questions will be asked with a lot of considerations to avoid compromising the quality of the data (Siewe, 2012). Pilot Study The participants of this research are the 30 elderly citizens aged 65 years and above, and any other parties that are going to help provide the secondary data needed for this study. For example, the service providers in health facilities and banks that have online services are going to be important in providing some necessary information. The senior members of our society chosen are going to be requested to share their experiences with the technological advancements (Stephanidis, 2011). Meanwhile, the bankers and health officers picked for this study are going to give data of how old folks adapt to the online inventions they have in their institutions. The participants are going to be issued with different questions depending on their areas of participations. Finally, a statistical analysis will be done to validate the pilot results that will be collected from the study (Whitcomb, 2013). Data Collection The duration that will be needed to collected data for this study ranges from five to six weeks. The time allocated is expected to be enough for the whole data collection process. Participants will be informed of the objectives of the research and asked to give only information they are sure about to ensure reliability. The type of data collected will be about the challenges that these elderly people face when making moves to utilize improved technologies. Primary sources such as interviews are to be used (Thurmond, 2012). Video calls and Skype calls are going to play a major role here. The interviews are going to give reliable data due to the direct interactions. Secondary sources that include books and initial related studies are also going to be utilized here. They are going to be used after the primary data has been collected to validate what was gotten from the field. The coordination of these two methods is going to provide us with credible results (Zhao, 2012). Limitations Some limitations due to the design used for this study may be faced when it is being conducted. The ethnographic design usually takes a lot of time since it involves many observations and talking among the participants (Lux,2011). Some institutions might also be reluctant to release some data that they doubt will represent the organization inappropriately. The use of interviews especially through Skype may pose a big challenge in some cases where the expected interviewee fails to be online at the expected time. Other participant may also be uncomfortable to share some information on a one-on-one basis. Due to this, the information collected might not be complete and thus unreliability. As a researcher some challenges may come up from my side depending on the time restrictions I have and my ability to utilize the little time available. For example, it might take me longer than expected to interview all the participants (Zhao, 2012). Validation In order to ensure reliable results are obtained out of this study, the data collected will be validated through triangulation. Some factors that relate to the resistance of the senior population towards advancements in technology are also going to be considered in a bid to validate the study. For example the participation of the government and relevant bodies towards ensuring these old folks are involved in the changes in the technology (Thurmond, 2012). For this research, triangulation is going to be done by getting data from other areas that are related to this field. Some information that are going to be used for this process include data from earlier studies that are connected to the new technological advancements that involve the senior citizens in the society. The dependant variable in this study is the resistance of the elderly to computerization while the independent variable is the social and cultural activities that the aged are engaged in making them inflexible. Since the social activities of these people affect their ability to move to the new changes, the internal validity of this study is expected to be considerable (Shapiro,2012). There are also very many areas and institutions that are affected by the inability of the old population to adjust to the new technology thus high external validity of this study. Conclusion Latest surveys show that the population of the elderly citizens will move to 37% by 2050 from the 20%it is at the moment. Since the benefits that the society stands to enjoy through a completely computerized community are so many, it is crucial to follow the steps highlighted here in order to find a solution to the problem. The research is going to be important to the entire community if reliable results are obtained. Obtaining these reliable results will depend on how data are collected and analyzed. For this study, detailed information will be collected out of free will from the participants. Conducting the research should not be the end of everything for this problem. After the study is properly done and results are out, it is important that the relevant organizations act on the issue. The proposed solutions should be considered to ensure the challenges faced by aged citizens. The computerized world should benefit all the citizens despite their ages. References Browne, H. (2011). accessability and Usability of Information Technology by the Elderly. IT and Age , 25-36. Dix, A. (2012). Human-Computer Interaction. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Dyck, J. (2014). Older Adults Acquisition of Word Processing. Computers in Human Behaviors , 14-38. Gregor, P., & Newell, A. (2012). Designing for Dynamic Diversity. Assistive Technologies , 67 -79. Jounalists Resource. (2014). Computerization and the Elderly. Computerization, Atomization , Crowdsourcing and the New Economics of Employment , 12-18. Karavidas, M., & Lim, N. (2014). The Effects of Computers on Older Adults. 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Computer Games for the Elderly. Computers and the Quality of Life , 9-15. Woolf, L. M. (2012). Theorotical Perspectives Relevant to Developmental Psychology. Age and Psychology , 20-24. Zhao, H. (2012). Universal Web Usability Design for the Elderly. University of Maryland Journal , 34-35. Read More