Abstract
This purpose of this study was to understand social work student interest in working with older adults and determine factors that may influence this interest. The study utilizes a quantitative cross-sectional study design and data was collected using a survey method. The survey was created by the researcher and includes a modified version of the Aging Semantic Differential. Using a non-probability purposive sampling procedure, 180 current social work students were offered surveys to participate in this study. Of these, 155 students completed surveys. The survey data was coded and analyzed using SPSS. While the majority of the sample reported a neutral interest in working with older adults the study's findings support that there are several factors that influence student interest in working with older adults including exposure to older adults, perceived self-efficacy in working with older adults, and attitudes towards older adults. Finally, this project concludes with a discussion of the findings' implications for social work and recommendations for future research.