Matt Kaplan
Associate Professor

Experience

• 8/00 - Present -- Associate Professor, Intergenerational Programs & Aging, Penn State University
• 9/95 - 8/00 -- Associate Professor Psychology, Hawaii Pacific University
• 5/98 - 8/00 -- Executive Director, Hawaii Intergenerational Network
• 8/94 - 6/95 -- Fulbright Research Scholar, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Japan
• 9/88 - 8/91 -- Intergenerational Programs Director/Consultant, Mount Vernon and East Harlem, New York
• 5/85 - 5/89 -- Planner/Project Development Coordinator, City Volunteer Corps, New York City

Education

• Ph.D., Environmental Psychology, City University of New York Graduate Center
• M.A., Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York
• B.A., Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Research Interests

• Intergenerational programs and policies and their impact on human and community development
• Intergenerational program studies from an international perspective
• Action research and community participation
• Children's conceptions of community and citizenship
• Senior adult volunteerism
• Service learning

Office

7A Ferguson Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-863-7871
Fax: 814-863-4753
E-mail: msk15@psu.edu

Responsibilities

• Provide statewide leadership for program initiatives related to adult intergenerational program development and aging, in conjunction with extension agents and other public groups.
• Develop and support nonformal education programs that strengthen intergenerational relationships and competencies in children, youth/4-H'ers, and families across the life span.
• Promote initiatives that yield healthy aging outcomes, improved family care of aging and disabled persons, positive family dynamics, and improved intergenerational relationships in civic settings.

Extension Programs

• Intergenerational Programs and Aging

Courses Taught

• Intergenerational Studies - Seminar and Practicum
• Community Intervention - Seminar and Practicum
• Social Psychology
• Human Development I and II
• Introduction to Psychology

Recent Publications

• Becker, J., Kaplan, M., and Nussbaum, J. (2007). Family farm succession planning: Balancing professional responsibility with client needs for help with family relationship issues. San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review, 16(1), 1-36.
• Kaplan, M., Haider, J., Cohen, U., & Turner, D. (2007). Environmental design perspectives on intergenerational programs and practices: An emergent conceptual framework. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships: Programs, Policy, and Research, 5 (2), 81-110.
• Kaplan, M. (2007). Evaluating intergenerational programs that aim to improve the community. In M. Sánchez Martínez (Ed.). The evaluation of intergenerational programs (pp. 102-118). [In Spanish]. Madrid, Spain: Instituto de Mayores y Servicios Sociales (IMSERSO).
• Kaplan, M., Kiernan, N.E., & James, L. (2006). Intergenerational family conversations and decision-making about eating healthfully. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 38 (5). Sept., 298-306.
• Liu, S-T, & Kaplan, M. (2006). An intergenerational approach for enriching children’s environmental attitudes and knowledge. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 5 (1), 9-20.
• Kaplan, M. and Lawrence-Jacobson, A. (2006). Intergenerational programs and practices. In Sherrod, L., Flanagan, C.A., & Kassimir, R. (Eds.). Youth activism: An international encyclopedia (pp. 357-361). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Company.
• Kaplan, M., Kusano, A., & Sugioka, S. (2006). Intergenerational Programs in Japan: Program Innovation and Planning Considerations. Journal of Family Resource Management of Japan, 41, 20-30.
• Kaplan, M., Liu, S-T., & Steinig, S. (2005). Intergenerational approaches for environmental education and action. Sustainable Communities Review, 8 (1), 54-74. Visit: http://www.cps.unt.edu/scr/2005_Vol8.pdf.
• Kaplan, M. & Chadha, N. (2004). Intergenerational Programs and Practices: A Conceptual Framework and an Indian Context. Indian Journal of Gerontology, 18 (3/4), 301-317.
• Kaplan, M., Higdon, F., Crago, N., & Robbins, L. (2004). Futures Festival: An intergenerational strategy for promoting community participation. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships: Programs, Policy, and Research, 2 (3/4), 119-146.
• Kaplan, M. & Larkin, E. (2004). Launching intergenerational programs in early childhood settings: A comparison of explicit intervention with an emergent approach. Early Childhood Education Journal, 31 (3), Spring, 157-163.
• Kaplan, M. (2004). Intergenerational engagement: Programs, practices, and priorities. (Invited feature article). Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 96 (2), 5-9.
• Kaplan, M., Liu, S., & Radhakrishna, R. (2003). Intergenerational programming in extension: Needs assessment as a planning tool. Journal of Extension, 41 (4). Visit: http://www.joe.org/joe/2003august/a5.shtml.
• Thang, L., Kaplan, M., and Henkin, N. (2003). Intergenerational programming in Asia: Converging diversities toward a common goal. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships: Programs, Policy, and Research, 1 (1), 49-69.
• Kaplan, M., Henkin, N., and Kusano, A. (Eds.) (2002). Linking lifetimes: A global view of intergenerational exchange. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc.
• Kaplan, M. (2002) Intergenerational programs in schools: Considerations of form and function. International Review of Education, 48 (4), Sept.