Closing the generation gap: Liz Larkin leads effort to research benefits of young and old together.

While neighborhoods and society seem to separate older and younger generations, many people believe that both generations would benefit if they simply spent more time together.

Research being conducted by Dr. Eliabeth Larkin at USF Sarasota-Manatee will not only tell us they are better together, it will measure the progress and results of time well-spent.

Dr. Larkin is an associate professor in the College of Education at the Sarasota-Manatee regional campus. She moved to Sarasota from Boston in 1998 because she was impressed with the commitment of the local community to promote intergenerational relationships in a city where more than one third of the population was 55 years of age or older.

"Intergenerational relationships were a burgeoning interest of mine," said Larkin. "I couldn't believe my good luck to be living in a city that understood the concept, and really wanted to use it to improve lives."

Students at USF Sarasota-Manatee study with Professor Larkin to understand the ways in which children learn, and the importance of constructing relevant relationships among generations.

"This is work that has personal value as well as social implications," said Larkin. "A network of relationships strengthens the society and adds meaning to the lives of individuals."

Larkin's interest in children and elders led to her work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Suncoast. "My research and teaching has concentrated on children's education and teacher preparation. I also have a deep interest in relationships between older and younger generations in the United States. But I didn't only want to identify problems. I wanted to help identify solutions."

Like others in her field, Larkin reached the conclusion that American society segregates age groups in ways that are detrimental to both groups. Children are segregated in schools, working adults spend most of their waking time in child-free environments, and older, retired adults often live in communities that are devoid of children.

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Larkin had a theory: some of the challenges faced by children--especially at-risk youth--, might be improved through the presence of engaged, attentive adults.

"I believed that children who were struggling to master reading, which is crucial to their success in school and beyond, would benefit if they had an adult--other than a teacher or parent, both of whom are usually over-extended--who wanted to see that child succeed," described Larkin. "And, I also believed that the presence of children would enrich the quality of life for older adults."

But Larkin needed to test her hypothesis. She found the perfect partner in Joy Mahler, executive director of Suncoast Big Brothers Big Sisters, who wanted to find a way to prove that the relationship between children and adult mentors benefited both.

Larkin, along with co-researcher Dr. Pat Wilson, developed a training program for the research participants in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters reading program.

"This was an important step," said Larkin. "Older adults were sometimes reluctant to become mentors because they didn't see themselves as teachers. And they are not teachers." Larkin clarified this point, explaining that the older adult mentors really serve more as companions and motivators rather than teachers. "The children really want someone who is dependable and who cares about their progress."

Larkin also wants to see if there is a measurable improvement in the reading skills of children who have been mentored by an adult volunteer. She believes that her research will be able to report gains in children's literacy and in their self-confidence.

"You know what the most important outcome is so far?" she asks. "The adults develop a lovely attachment to the children. They find it deeply satisfying to help those children do well."

"I believe that lives are being changed through this kind of mentoring," stressed Larkin. "It's not a small thing."

With a doctorate in education from Harvard University, Larkin has devoted her academic life to understanding issues related to education and aging in an age-segregated society.

By ANN BLACK, Voss and Associates Staff