Enacting Eldertech in Senior Citizens' Communities of Japan: A Social Support Perspective

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13933
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 08020:Social welfare-related
• Research Institution: Mukogawa Women's University (2020-2023); Ritsumeikan University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: HUANG Ting Ting 武庫川女子大学, 経営学部, 講師 (40815552)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Information sysytems / Technology affordance / Social affordance / elderly / community system / Social Support Theory

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, I adopted a qualitative approach with a multi-case design, focusing on Japan's efforts to improve the social lives of the elderly. We analyzed four cases where ICT was used to enhance community support, proposing a matrix for community-based social support systems for the elderly. This matrix highlights the potential and challenges of using ICT to enrich elderly communities. Additionally, we conducted a secondary analysis from the perspective of technology affordance, examining structural, resource, and mental affordances within these systems to provide a deeper understanding of the concept of affordance.

Free Research Field

経営情報論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、日本における高齢者の社会生活向上を目的として、ICTを活用した社会支援システムの効果を明らかにしました。技術アフォーダンス理論を用いた分析から、システムの構造的、資源的、心理的な側面がどのように相互作用するかを探求し、社会支援システムの効果を深く理解するための新たな枠組みを提供しました。この研究は、高齢者コミュニティの豊かな社会生活を支援するICTの利用可能性と限界を示し、今後の研究と実践における指針となる貴重な知見を提供しています。