scholarly journals An Examination of Gen Z Learners Attending a Minority University

10.28945/3955 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Technology Skills ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
The Future

Aim/Purpose: [This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2018 issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong Learning, Volume 14] This presentation presents the preliminary findings of a survey that sought to examine the technology uses, needs, interests, career goals, and professional expectations of Generation Z college students Background: Students entering college today are part of Generation Z born in the late 90’s through 2016 making the oldest among them 20 or so years old. They already outnumber millennials and are the first true digital natives being born during the age of smart phone. They are the first generation that used a tablet before they could ride a bike, the first to have childhood friends that they engaged with electronically, and the first to have their baby photos and youthful milestones shared on social media. Their minds, relationships, learning preferences, emotional health, sense of self, have all been inexplicably shaped by constant exposure to screens and networked digital technologies, which the research shows in high doses changes the neural circuitry of developing brains, leading to shorter attention spans, stunted social skills and a heightened ability to multitask Methodology: In the fall of 2017 an online student perception survey was administered to students enrolled at a mid-Atlantic minority serving institution. The survey included a combination of dichotomous, Likert-scaled, and ranking questions. The survey was administered to students following completion of core computer concepts courses and explored their technology backgrounds, skills, perceived computing self-efficacy, and the role they predict technology will play in their future career Contribution: As Generation Z descends on college campuses, with their technology dominated backgrounds and different communications, learning, and social preferences, it is important to better understand this generation whose needs and expectations will help shape the future of higher education. Additionally, this study also provides research on a population (first-generation minority college students) that is expanding in numbers in higher education and that the literature, reports is impacted negatively by the digital divide and educational inequalities. This paper is timely and relevant and helps to extend our understanding of Generation Z. Findings: The findings show that Generation Z learners enjoy computer classes, feel that using computers comes easy to them; are experts in the use of social media, mobile operating systems, using a smart phone, searching the Web, and email. They reported that they want to be more technologically literate, want to be more skilled in computer software applications, and are interested in learning about cyber security. In terms of the future, most also believe that their career will require them to analyze information to inform decision making. Additionally, most believe that information security will be important to their future career. Finally, results affirmed that college computing courses remain important and that college students recognize that technology will play an important role in their career and that employers want to see job applications with strong technology skills. Recommendations for Practitioners: Generation Z learners enrolled in higher education need, and want, a wide range of technology courses available to them in order to help them meet the rapidly evolving demands of tomorrow’s workplace. Students overwhelmingly see the value in enhancing their technology skills especially in such areas as computer software applications, information management, and cyber security. Recommendation for Researchers: Institutions of higher education should invest in thorough and ongoing examinations of the information and technology literacy skills, needs, and perceptions of students. Impact on Society: Understanding the interests and needs of Generation Z learners is imperative to the future of higher education. Future Research: This survey is a work in progress that is part of a pilot study that is being used to help guide a much more sizable examination of Generation Z learners.

scholarly journals An Examination of Gen Z Learners Attending a Minority University

10.28945/3969 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 041-053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole A. Buzzetto-Hollywood ◽  
Ayodele Julius Alade
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Technology Skills ◽  
Future Career ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
The Future

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents the preliminary findings of a pilot survey that sought to examine the technology uses, backgrounds, needs, interests, career goals, and professional expectations of Generation Z students enrolled at a minority serving institution in the United States Mid-Atlantic region. Background: Students entering college today are part of Generation Z born in the late 90’s through 2016. Known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task, they already outnumber millennials and are the first true digital natives born during the age of smart phone. Methodology: In the fall of 2017, an online student perception survey was piloted with stu-dents enrolled at a mid-Atlantic minority serving institution. The survey included a combination of dichotomous, Likert-scaled, and ranking questions. The survey was administered electronically using the Survey Monkey system to students following completion of core computer concepts courses and explored their technology backgrounds, skills, perceived computing self-efficacy, and the role they predict technology will play in their future career. The data was subsequently exported to Microsoft Excel and SPSS where descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Contribution: As Generation Z descends on college campuses, with their technology domi-nated backgrounds and different communications, learning, and social prefer-ences, it is important to better understand this generation whose needs and expectations will help shape the future of higher education. Additionally, this study also provides research on a population (first-generation minority college students) that is expanding in numbers in higher education and that the litera-ture, reports is impacted negatively by the digital divide and educational inequalities. This paper is timely and relevant and helps to extend our understanding of Generation Z. Findings: The findings show that Generation Z learners enrolled in a minority-serving institution enjoy computer classes, feel that using computers comes easy to them; and perceive themselves as experts in the use of social media, mobile operating systems, using a smart phone, searching the Web, and email. Participants also reported that they want to be more technologically literate, want to be more skilled in computer software applications, and are interested in learning about cyber security. In terms of the future, most respondents also believe that their career will require them to analyze information to inform decision making. Additionally, most stated that information security will be important to their future career. Finally, the results affirmed that college computing courses remain important and that college students recognize that technology will play a crucial role in their career with employers wanting to see job applicants with strong technology skills. Recommendations for Practitioners: Generation Z learners enrolled in higher education need, and want, a wide range of technology courses available to them in order to help them meet the rapidly evolving demands of tomorrow’s workplace. Students in this study overwhelmingly see the value in enhancing their technology skills especially in such areas as computer software applications, information management, and cyber security. Recommendation for Researchers: Institutions of higher education should invest in thorough and ongoing examinations of the information and technology literacy skills, needs, and perceptions of students. Impact on Society: Understanding the interests and needs of Generation Z learners is imperative to the future of higher education. Future Research: This survey is a work in progress that is part of a pilot study that is being used to help guide a much more sizable examination of Generation Z learners.

A critical approach to academic, community, and family literacies of first-generation college students in Latin America

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lina M. Trigos-Carrillo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Latin America ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Community Cultural Wealth ◽  
Cultural Wealth ◽  
The Social ◽  
First Generation College

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] In this study, I investigated the social practices related to reading and writing of first-generation college students and their families and communities in Latin America from a critical sociocultural perspective (Lewis, Enciso and Moje, 2007). This embedded multiple-case study was conducted in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica. Using an ethnographic perspective of data collection (Bernard, 2011; Lillis and Scott, 2007) and the constant comparative method (Heath and Street, 2008), situational analysis (Clarke, 2005), and within and cross-case analysis (Yin, 2014), I analyzed specific literacy events (Heath, 1982) and literacy practices (Street, 2003) in social context. First, I argue that access to the academic discourse and culture is one of the main barriers first-generation college students faced, although they constructed strong social support systems and engaged in rich literacy practices that involved critical action and thinking. Second, I found that, in contrast to the common belief that socially and economically nonmainstream college students were deficient in literacy, these students and their families possessed a literacy capital and engaged in complex and varied literacy practices. Using their literacy capital, first-generation college students and their families and communities procured the preservation of cultural identity, resisted the effects of cultural globalization, served the role of literacy sponsors, and reacted critically to the sociopolitical context. These literacy practices constituted a community cultural wealth for the families and communities of first-generation college students. I argue that a positive approach towards first-generation college students' identities and their community cultural wealth is necessary in curriculum, instruction, and policy if universities are truly committed to provide access to higher education to students from diverse backgrounds. Finally, I investigated first-generation university women's gender identities, discourses, and roles as they navigated the social worlds of the public university and their local communities in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica. While dominant discourses and roles associated with women reproduced the machismo culture in the region, these group of first-generation university women contested, challenged, and resisted those roles, discourses, and identities. From a Latin American feminist perspective, I argue that bonds of solidarity and communal relations are values that resist the negative effects of global capitalism in marginalized bodies. In particular, public universities, women's supporters, emancipatory discourses, and situated critical literacies played a critical role in improving gender equality in higher education in Latin America. This study contributes to a better understanding of the literacy practices in situated social contexts and informs the ways in which more equitable college instruction, policy, and practices can be developed and promoted.

Communicative Resilience of First-Generation College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina M Scharp ◽  
Tiffany R Wang ◽  
Brooke H Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Online Education ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Education Administrators

Abstract As U.S. higher education institutions closed their campuses and transitioned to online education due to the high risk for COVID-19 transmission, first-generation college students (FGS) were particularly susceptible to multiple stressors. Findings from a sample of 44 participants reveal seven resilience triggers, four resilience processes, and three relationships between resilience processes and triggers. Based on these findings, we advance the communication theory of resilience by establishing the ways triggers can be structural, emergent, and overlapping and by theorizing resilience processes as both enduring and time-bound/contingent. We also employ a new qualitative method, thematic co-occurrence analysis, to illuminate the relationships between the resilience triggers and processes. Practical applications for higher education administrators, teaching instructors, and student support professionals are described.

Talking ‘Bout My Generation: Defining “First-Generation College Students” in Higher Education Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Robert K. Toutkoushian ◽  
Robert A. Stollberg ◽  
Kelly A. Slaton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
College Entrance ◽  
College Entrance Exam ◽  
Entrance Exam ◽  
First Generation College Student ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
College Educated

Background/Context There have been numerous studies conducted in the higher education literature to determine whether parental education is related to the academic plans and success of their children. Within this literature, particular emphasis is often given to children who are “first-generation college students.” However, researchers and policy makers have not reached agreement on what constitutes a first-generation college student and whether the definition affects the findings from their studies. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In this study, we examined whether the way in which first-generation college status was defined affected its association with the likelihood of a student going to college. We used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:02), which is a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 10th-grade students in 2002 who were followed up in 2004, 2006, and 2012. Research Design We used binary and multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine how first-generation college status, as well as other personal, family, and school characteristics, were associated with whether a student took a college entrance exam, applied to college, and enrolled in college. For this study, we constructed eight different definitions of a first-generation college student. The definitions varied with regard to the level of education needed for a parent to be considered “college educated” and the number of parents meeting the education criteria. Conclusions/Recommendations Our results showed that the connection between first-generation college status and these three outcomes varied depending on how first-generation college status was defined. In general, we found larger deficits for first-generation college students when neither parent was college educated and when college educated was defined as earning a bachelor's degree or higher. First-generation college students faced the largest deficits for enrolling in college, and smaller (but often significant) deficits for taking a college entrance exam and applying to college. The results imply that researchers should be very specific about how they are defining first-generation college status and should determine whether their findings are sensitive to how the variable was defined.

Retention of Rural Latina College Students, Engaging Strategic Leadership

2017 ◽  
pp. 580-603
Author(s):  
Theresa D. Neimann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Generation ◽  
College Education ◽  
Latina Women ◽  
Rural Colleges ◽  
Latina College Students ◽  
What Works ◽  
College Going ◽  
The Future ◽  
College Personnel

The purpose of this study is to understand how the contextual complexities between Chicana feminist theory help leaders of higher education understand Latina retention in rural colleges and what Latina women encounter in their college experience. Despite the vast amounts of research that is known about the barriers they face in urban colleges (AACC, 2012; Biswas, 2005; ETS, 2007; NWLC, 2012; Payne & Fogerty, 2007), little is known about how a rural context affects the barriers and what works for Latinas that attend rural colleges. The purpose of the chapter is to learn from the literature review and from personal testimonials of what works and what these barriers to retention are and how administrators, and college personnel can better assist this population which will help Latinas succeed in rural colleges. This research is significant as a growing number of first generation Latina women are seeking a college education (Excelencia, 2010; McPhail, 2011; Santiago & Callen, 2010). This will have implications in the future of their lives and the future of higher education institutional policy, and not the least the future economic success of Latinas and how they view themselves as part of a positive college going experience (Cavazos, Johnson, & Sparrow, 2010; Gloria & Castellanos, 2012).

New Learning for New Students

2016 ◽  
pp. 819-837
Author(s):  
John K. Hope
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Rapid Onset ◽  
Baby Boomer Generation ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
New Students ◽  
Widespread Availability ◽  
Demand Changes ◽  
New Generation

When the post-world war two ‘baby boomer' generation reached school age, education changed. Massive increases in student numbers required changes to teacher education, enormous investment in new schools and changes in pedagogy. Each succeeding generation has been different, and of necessity, education has changed to reflect the needs and aspirations of the new generation. Generation Y students are now in higher education, the first Generation Z students will soon be entering higher education. Both groups are showing signs of being different to their seniors. This difference implies changes to higher education learning. Compounding the need for Generation Y and Generation Z instigated changes to higher education has been the rapid onset of new forms of technologically infused learning, some generated by an industry desperate to maintain its influence on education as the market for paper-based books and journals declines, others generated by the ubiquitous nature of everyday life technological innovations such as social media, and more recently, the widespread availability of tuition fee-free MOOCS. This chapter will chart the generational and technological changes that are likely to increasingly demand changes to learning in schooling and higher education. Possible future change scenarios are also suggested.

Ascertaining the Interest of Women to Drive Innovation Through Entrepreneurship Post-Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 341-363
Author(s):  
Sriya Chakravarti
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Women Students ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
The Future ◽  
Innovation And Entrepreneurship

Our prosperity and sustainability in the future depends on the ability to innovate. Therefore, innovation needs to be embedded in all sections of an economy. A research study took place in a higher education setting of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on offering an entrepreneurship major to local women students. The aim was to explore the interest and views of these Generation Z students on driving innovation and entrepreneurship in the country through building homegrown companies. This research is highly relevant as the society re-imagines itself post pandemic. The findings from the research may be useful to members of academia, professionals related to this sector, and policy makers of nations. They may use the information to design suitable academic programs for women that may help drive entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability for every strata of the society in the post-COVID-19 era.

Voces de Resistencia: Exploring Salvadoran Students’ Experiences and Needs in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-403
Author(s):  
Janette Linares ◽  
Cara S. Maffini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Grounded Theory Methodology ◽  
Demographic Survey ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to examine how historical and contemporary traumas, refugee experiences, and cultural adjustment affect first-generation Salvadoran students’ identities and experiences in higher education. Thirteen Salvadoran college students completed a demographic survey and a semistructured interview. Using grounded theory methodology, three selective, 11 axials, and 36 open themes were identified. Respondents reflected on the impact of trauma. They also discussed challenges of being first generation and navigating through higher education, though reportedly conceptualizing these as symbols of hope and opportunity for their own growth. Findings demonstrate ways institutions of higher education can better support Salvadoran students.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document