Anti-Ageism: Bringing Meaning into Old Age
2024
Age Stereotypes in Nursery Rhymes
Sample size: 735
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Ng Reuben, Indran Nicole
Primary Institution: National University of Singapore
Hypothesis
Children are socialized to view old age through the depictions found in nursery rhymes.
Conclusion
Nursery rhymes often contain negative stereotypes about old age, which can influence children's attitudes towards aging.
Supporting Evidence
- The study retrieved 735 unique nursery rhymes.
- Only 34 rhymes were found to be related to old age.
- 50% of the rhymes related to old age contained negative stereotypes.
- 26% of the rhymes featured positive stereotypes.
- 24% of the rhymes had neutral stereotypes.
Takeaway
This study looked at nursery rhymes to see how they talk about old people. It found that many rhymes have negative things to say about aging.
Methodology
The study involved gathering nursery rhymes from four websites and analyzing them for age-related content.
Limitations
The study only analyzed nursery rhymes and may not represent all children's literature.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website