Ageing in a Liminal Time - Allen Jorgenson

Summary:

Ageing in a Liminal Time will explore the lived experience of people approaching retirement and recently retired in relation to their communities of support and sense of vocation.  Of course, this experience, can be greatly varied based on gender, region, occupation, etc.  In order to strike a balance between specificity and representation, the study will involve mixed methods, first targeting varied but related constituencies, and then a very specific community.  The first will involve a quantitative study of a general population of Canadians who are within 5 years post-retirement.  This will be followed by a qualitative study focusing on teachers of theology or religious studies.

The quantitative study will use both Likert scale and open-ended questions related to experiences of retirement.  I am especially interested in how communities of support assist them in making and finding meaning in the midst of a shift in vocational identity. Further I want to examine correlations among their experiences of communities with their anticipation of and adjustment to retirement.

The qualitative study will be based on 12-16 respondents and will involve open ended questions digging more deeply into participants’ sense of identity in relationship to past, present, and imagined future communities of support.  Analysis will be done using grounded theory.

The main outputs of this study will include confirmation of established research outputs concerning the significant role that social groups play in adjustment to retirement.  Additionally, new insights specific to the lived experience of theologians and scholars of religion will be surfaced and explored via a phenomenological analysis (using grounded theory) of the experiences of anticipated and actual retirement of this select group against the horizon of insights from the quantitative study and relevant literature.

The outcomes of this study will include participation in a panel presentation, submission of a journal article, and the development of a church-based event with a follow-up survey to assess impact, to be available to religious communities on the topic of ageing, spirituality, and communities of support.