4: Life Stories in the Present and Past: An Empirical Study With Generation Tandems

In this chapter we report on a quantitative–qualitative study implementing a new adaptation of the ABC’s approach working with generation tandems. The novelty of the study lies in the application of the ABC’s with a target group over the age of 80 within a content-and-language integrated learning (CLIL) context, with a special focus on history. The overall aims were to contribute to intergenerational understanding and to raise participants’ language awareness with respect to the probable dependency of age and rhetoric. Our first research goal was to investigate the impact of the intergenerational learning environment and assess whether prospective teachers were more knowledgeable and open towards diversity after experiencing the intergenerational cooperation in one semester of coursework. Our second research goal was to analyze similarities and differences between the different biographies with respect to sociocultural, educational, emotional, and economic factors. A pre- and post‑survey helped us answer the first research question. Highly significant differences between the pre- and post‑survey with respect to openness towards cultural heterogeneity were measured. Text data generated through the biographies written by the students after conducting the interviews served as a base for qualitative analyses and helped answer the second research question. Written permission to use the text data was signed by all participants. Across all life stories, the educational dimension turned out to have the biggest impact on the construction of life stories.