# Reducing ageism among Israeli Jew and Arab middle school students: a randomized controlled trial

## TL;DR

A school-based intervention aimed at reducing ageism among Israeli Jewish and Arab middle school students showed no significant effects, highlighting challenges in early adolescence.

## Contribution

The study provides null findings from a culturally diverse RCT on ageism reduction, offering insights for future intervention design.

## Key findings

- The 90-minute intervention did not significantly reduce ageism over time.
- No significant differences in outcomes were found between Israeli Jewish and Arab students.
- The results emphasize the difficulty of changing ageist attitudes in early adolescence.

## Abstract

Ageism often emerges in childhood, yet rigorously evaluated school-based interventions—especially in multicultural settings—are scarce. The study evaluated the efficacy of a 90-min educational intervention to reduce ageism among Israeli Jewish and Arab middle school students.

Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, 606 Israeli Jew and Arab middle school students (aged 12–16, 53.3% girls) were assigned to either an intervention (N = 314) or a control group (N = 292), with measures of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination collected at three time points.

In contrast to successful pilot findings, the intervention yielded no significant improvements over time on the measured outcomes. An exploratory analysis revealed that the pattern of change over time did not significantly differ across Israeli Jews and Arabs.

Results highlight challenges associated with reducing ageism in early adolescence. Our null findings contribute valuable knowledge that can guide future intervention design and advance cross-cultural ageism research.