Objective To explore the effect of task-driven, participatory-experiential teaching on nursing students′ knowledge, attitude and career motivation toward elderly people. Methods A cluster randomized controlled trail was conducted.A total of 126 nur-sing students selected the elective course of Gerontology Nursing were assigned to a control group （n=60） or an experimental group （n=66） according to their class.Routine teaching method was applied to the control group, while the experimental group received task-driven, participatory-experiential teaching that students were asked to perform health assessment and reminiscence interview for the elderly in the nursing homes.The questionnaire of Facts on Aging Quiz 1, Kogan′s Attitude toward Old People Scale, and Ge-rontological Nursing Career Motivation Questionnaire were filled out by students in both groups before and after the course. Results The experimental group had higher scores of aging knowledge, attitude toward old people, positive dimension of attitude toward old people, and the gerontological nursing career motivation compared with the control group after completion of the course （P＜0.01 for all）. Conclusion The application of task-driven, participatory-experiential teaching in the course of Gerontology Nursing can effectively improve students′ knowledge, attitude and career motivation toward gerontological nursing.