Millennial learning tactics of selected senior high

school students

By Jan Russel D. Derpo

 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Nowadays, the Millennial generation is the most computer literate generation to enter the

workforce. Also known as the Net Generation, those born from 1981- 2001 have been raised in

an era of instant access. Their learning and communication style is through multi-media. The

common method of contact is text messaging and instant messaging as well as cell phones.

Learning has even moved into webbased tools such as web-ct, online courses, online journals

and i-pod downloads. The different environment of this technologically enhanced generation will

be important to understand for their learning in school. Millennials prefer a broad spectrum of

learning tactics. The concept of learners style is more pronounced in this generation. They prefer

learning materials that are delivered to cater to their visual, auditory and even kinesthetic needs.

Social researchers suggest that this millennial learners maybe different than other

generations. They have developed characteristics that made them different from the young

people of the past generations. This millennial learners need to experience change in delivery

formats to maintain interest, because their attention spans are shorter. Millennials quickly move

on to other forms of learning. Their ideal learning environment involves less lecture and more

collaboration with peers. Group-based projects that emulate the work environment (authentic
assessments) are ideal for these learners. Millennials are aces at “googling” and discovering

information. They do not value a piece of information for its own sake rather for its relevance to

their lives. Millennials have grown up with mobile technology.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A study done by Pew Research Center said that 65% of American adults age 18-29 own a

smart phone but it drops to 59% for adults ages 30-49 and 32% for adults ages 50-

64. Millennials have also learned to be resourceful. They’re comfortable finding answers rather

than waiting around for someone to tell us. They’re quick to plug their questions into search

engines or message a friend to lend us expertise. Having job related information such as product

details, definition, procedures etc. can be useful on a mobile device if they’re easy to search and

reference.

Considering the characteristics of the Millennial generation, there is some concern about

the effects on their learning process. “Many young people today are accustomed to watching TV,

talking on the phone, doing homework, eating, and interacting with their parents all at the same

time” (Frand, 2000). Routine multitasking behavior may have shortened their attention span and

caused them to lack critical thinking skills and introspection (Murray, 1997). Although there may

be concern for Millennials’ analysis of material, there is confidence in their usage of media that
can be a tool for learning. Constance Yowell, MacArthur Foundation’s director for digital media,

learning and education, noted that digital technology, “a peer-driven learning” is very familiar to

this generational cohort as “young people are way ahead of the adults in understanding how to

use these tools” (Trei, 2006,). Yowell asks “in 10 to 15 years, will kids coming into public

education be thinking, behaving or acting differently, or expecting different things because

they’ve been engaged in digital media?” (Trei, 2006,). According to the foundation’s statistics,

they will be, as nearly seventy-five percent of young people use instant messaging and eighty-

three percent play video games (Trei, 2006) – a certain indication of changed attitudes towards

learning and interaction.

This research is entitled “Millenial learning tactics of selected senior high school

students”, intends to look into what are the learning tactics of senior high school students and

what do they usually use as an effective way of learning. As the students of millennial

generation, their role is not merely not do their homeworks the easy way or only just depending

on technology to have resources, but to be a better students of their school and make use of the

things that is arounf them and making it valuable. Hence, identifying their leaning tactics is of

great importance.
Theoretical Framework

Learning theories are an organized set of principles explain how individuals acquire, retain, and

recall knowledge. With these theories the researchers can better understand how learning occurs

and how the millennial students develop their own learning tactic.

There are three learning tactics, and these are behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. In

behaviorism it is believed that learning actually occurs when new behaviors.

One theoretical perspective of particular note when attempting to teach this generational

cohort is that of constructivism. According to Eggen and Kauchak (2007), “constructivism can

be described as a view of learning suggesting that learners create their own knowledge of the

topics they study rather than having that knowledge transmitted to them by some other source”

(p. 235). Millennial Generation expectations appear to be fairly well-aligned with key

propositions of constructivism, specifically emphasizing instructional approaches. The

Millennial cohort, due to the effect of societal shaping influences on the generation, has come to

expect and/or demand much of what educational theorists have long recommended.

Consequently, the application of constructivist approaches may need to be considered more

intentionally to better educate this cohort. The following discussion will examine how a

university professor attempted to meet these Millennial expectations and constructivist

propositions. Specifically, this discussion will examine changes that were implemented in one
six-hour secondary education course to meet Millennial expectations while applying

constructivist methodologies. It should be noted that this discussion of “constructivist”

approaches follows the delineation of Null (2004) who suggests that research in constructivism

can generally be separated into epistemological/philosophical discussions, instructional

approaches, and “prescriptive” trainings. This is in agreement with Glynn and Duit (1995) who

suggest using the term constructive instead of constructivist to emphasize practical rather than

philosophical perspectives of learning. The emphasis here is upon practical and methodological

changes that occurred in this course founded upon Millennial expectations and that were

informed by a constructive learning perspective. In this paper, the use of the term constructivist

should be understood as being synonymous with constructive or constructivist instructional

approaches as defined by Glynn and Duit (1995) and Null (2004). The course titled Classroom

Applications of Educational Psychology examines theoretical and practical perspectives of

learning, motivation, assessment, and management; applications of these perspectives to the

classroom through models and methods of instruction, management strategies, and motivational

tools; different assessment techniques, assessment interpretation, and planning based on these

assessments; and various elements of teacher professionalism. The course meets for three, 2-hour

sessions each week of the semester. It serves as the only theory, methods, and assessment course

that all secondary education program candidates must complete irrespective of their major.

During the first years of teaching the course, the approach used was a “conceptual” one
following the definition of the Salish I Research Project (Yager, 1997), which defined beliefs and

actions used in this approach as those that, “tend to be teacher-centered, but also include hands-

on activities, group work and discussion as ways of helping students to clarify understanding of

ideas”

For several semesters, when considering the ideas of Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey; the

information was presented via direct instruction and lecture methods. Students were asked

questions to make certain they were taking notes and understanding the presentations. After the

presentation each day over a period of several class sessions, students were asked to complete a

short activity to ensure they had learned the information. Such approaches involving lecture have

been and are quite commonplace in university settings with varied levels of student engagement

(Atkinson, 2004). Therefore, this approach followed the norm of university practice. SRATE

Journal Winter 2008-2009, Vol. 18, Number 1 Page 27 However, the approach did not apply the

propositions of constructivist theory nor was it meeting the expectations of the continually

increasing number of Millennial students attending the course for several reasons. First, the

approach being used did not allow the students to have a primary role in their construction of

knowledge; a point of necessity that has been well-examined in educational research literature

(Brandt & Perkins, 2000; Campbell, Campbell, & Dickinson, 2004; Piaget, 1995; Vygotsky,

1978). Second, as related specifically to Millennials, the teaching method used in this course did

not consider this cohort’s expectations of the learning environment. Specifically, this cohort has
grown accustomed to learning environments in which multiple information sources are used and

where opportunities exist to interact with others in the learning process. They have also learned

that multiple information sources are a common part of learning and that one expert may not be

the only expert. Further, this cohort expects environments where people are working together

rather than alone and where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, this

generation has been better networked than any generational cohort in history through the use of

text messaging, Internet usage, after school initiatives, community service efforts, team sports,

cell phone use, instant messaging, and community-building media tools (e.g., FaceBook,

MySpace, etc.), and the cohort, therefore, expects these aspects to be present in their learning

environments (Baker College, 2005; Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007; Howe, 2005; Howe

& Strauss, 2000; Lowery, 2004; Oblinger, 2003; Van Horn, 2006). Third, the teaching approach

used in the course initially, even with very creative and informative presentations, many times

placed the students in a passive rather than an active role. According to Brandt and Perkins

(2000), Bruner (1996), Piaget (1995), and Vygotsky (1978); a constructivist environment should

place learners in an active role in the learning process. Incidentally, this active role also connects

well with the expectations of the Millennial cohort. Therefore, to provide an environment to

better meet the propositions of constructivist learning approaches and Millennial expectations, a

change was made concerning how this information was presented. First, rather than continuing to

do presentations using lecture methods accompanied by some direct instruction approaches, a

website was used to introduce students to the ideas of constructivism (Ryder, 2008). This

website, hosted and maintained by the University of Colorado at Denver’s School of Education,

contains multiple links from a variety of experts concerning definitions of constructivism and

articles written by educational researchers who specifically examine and/or apply this area of

expertise. Students were asked to read each of the definition links and one expert article. They

then worked in teams of three to four members to create a definition of constructivism, state the

types of constructivism, and list its major seminal proponents. After this activity, students placed

this information on a flip-chart and shared it with their peers in the class. Following this step,

students worked together as a class (using keywords that had appeared across the definitions) to

create a class definition of constructivism without the aid of the instructor. Course sections’

definitions, although lacking in some ways, did demonstrate that students were developing an

understanding of constructivism during this activity. For example, one class section’s definition

stated, “Constructivism – a learning theory that is centered on the learner, who is actively

constructing/connecting new knowledge with previous experiences. Learning is dependent on the

social and cognitive contexts of the individual.” Another class section’s definition stated,

“Constructivism is a learning theory which states that individuals actively and continually

construct knowledge based on previous experiences and knowledge.”

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The purpose of this study is to figure out what kind of learning tacticsmillennials use which can

help teachers in teaching the millennials.

1.What is the demographics profile of the respondents in terms of:

A. Age

B.Civil status

2.What kind of learning tactics does millennials in lnc use?

a. And how do they use them?

3.Is their learning tactic efficient enough?

 Conceptual Framework

As presented in the paradigm, the demographic profile, age, gender and study awareness

among the students were identified as input. The researcher conducted a survey regarding to the

research entitled, “Millennial learning tactics of selected senior high school students of Laguna

Northwestern College for 2017-2018”, was identified as the process.

Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. The Demographic Profile

of the respondents in terms
of:
Conduct a survey
regarding the topic Millennial
a. Gender Distributing pamphlets
learning tactics of selected senior
b. Age that indicate the millennial
high school students.
learning tactic of the senior high
school students.
2. Apprehend what are the
learning tactics of the
millennial senior high
school students.

Significance of the study

 The study aimed to know the Millennial learning tactics of selected senior high school
students of Laguna Northwestern College for 2017-2018.

Scope and Delimitations

The researcher limited the study of the Millennial learning tactics that the senior high
school students of the Laguna Northwestern College (main) use.

In order to determine the millenial learning tactics that the senior high school student use
as a way of learning of the survey that has been finished, the researcher only limited their study
on twenty (20) students with or without problems on their study habits located at Laguna
Northwestern College (main). The survey is only conducted for a day.

Definition of Terms

Millenials – a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century.

Senior High School Students – is a secondary school that students attend in the three or four
highest grades before college.

Tactics – an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end.

Learning - the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.
 CHAPTER 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter presents related literature and studies gathered and utilized by the researcher to

support the current research and provide a general background of the study.

Foreign Literature

According to https://www.td.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-

Archive/2016/06/Designing-Learning-for-Millennials In Collaborative Learning, Most

Millennials rely on Google and social media to access information; share knowledge, ideas, and

insights; discuss challenges; and receive advice and feedback. Why not create a learning

environment using the technology and methodologies of informal learning within the

organization to help connect them with co-workers, break down knowledge silos, and leverage

the real power of shared learning?

Online collaborative learning enables employees to collaborate and work in groups (which might

be geographically dispersed but interconnected), to build an active learning community and a

connected workforce. You also could use collaborative learning for developing behavioural

competencies (for example, teamwork, cooperation, communication, and problem solving)

needed at a workplace and even to check the understanding of concepts covered through some

other learning strategy. In Micro learning, while hyper connectivity has induced quick-acting and

multitasking in Millennial, it also drives them to settle for quick choices and lack of patience,

according to the Pew Research Center. To adapt to these characteristics, we must ensure that the

learning resources we curate are bite-sized, so they are easily digestible.

One of the most common forms of microlearning that Millennials have grown up with are

videos. We can deliver low-cost, short videos explaining a process, product, or procedure,

supported by features that enable viewers to tag, rate, and comment, so as to make the videos

conversation-enablers.

From a talent development function perspective, bite-sized learning resources are easy to update

and manage and inexpensive to dispose of. They help in minimizing knowledge decay and

reducing time to proficiency. Moreover, these learning snacks can be effortlessly delivered

through an intranet, virtual knowledge repositories, and even emails and smartphones. In

Gamification, to make the most of microlearning, consider combining it with gamification to

make it more engaging. When game-like features are combined with relevant scenarios and

challenges that employees typically face on the job, it serves as an effective strategy to boost

performance. Incentives, rewards, and immediate feedback help build motivation, a healthy

competitive spirit, and excitement that the achievement-oriented generation of Millennials crave.

In Mentoring and coaching, mentoring and coaching are rapidly taking center stage in the area of

capability development. Ambitious Millennials constantly look for opportunities to learn from

mentors while performing their job duties. In Shifting the learning environment,

Focus on "less is more." With the introduction of new technology (for example, rapid

development tools, simulations, mobile learning, videos, and e-learning), the learning portfolio in

most companies is flooded with a high volume and variety of learning options. This often ends

up confusing employees who seek quick and relevant learning sources in the time of need. Don't

hesitate to dispose of irrelevant items from the learning portfolio while constantly monitoring

learning maturity and giving a definite direction to the learning needs of your employees based
on their current and future job responsibilities, personal development plans, current performance,

and assessments by supervisors, mentors, and self.

Build autonomous learners. Even though you build a quality learning portfolio, you won't be able

to serve all the learning needs of all employees. Therefore, it's imperative that they take

responsibility of learning continuously. We need to make employees more aware of the sources

of learning and their positive results—be it from a conscious effort such as using performance

support tools, receiving guidance from a mentor, or searching for the latest industry trends and

data; or from accidental sources such as challenges at the workplace or new experiences in

personal life. This awareness of learning and its significance further encourages them to

consciously expand their learning horizon. As John Maxell once said, "Once you've tasted

significance, success never satisfies." Additionally, you should introduce your employees to

different learning techniques that they can use for self-development and to help them solve the

challenges they face with learning. For example, a common challenge for employees is

knowledge retention. Introduce them to spaced repetition and reinforcement techniques, such as

making analogies, compressing recent experiences, and reconciling models, to reduce the drop in

the forgetting curve and store important pieces of information in the long-term memory for easy

recall.

When designing learning for Millennials, we need to have insight as to what they prefer and how

they perceive talent development initiatives. We have to look beyond the boundaries and change

the way we impart learning. Rather than providing information and instructions, we should

create a learning environment that is participative and provides opportunities to share, explore,

and experiment among themselves.

Jay Cross once said, "Formal learning is like riding a bus: the driver decides where the bus is

going; the passengers are along for the ride. Informal learning is like riding a bike: the rider

chooses the destination, the speed, and the route." It holds so true for Millennials. Learning on

demand is the way out. It is not easy, though.

Organizations will need to provide job-centric meaningful content, in-house coaches for

continuous learning, and access to just-in-time learning aids. In addition, organizations need to

look at technology as an enabler for delivering learning resources in a seamless manner, which in

most companies is still very much a work in progress. But if we want to meet the needs of

today's fast-moving business environment, we must embrace this model and start implementing

it today.
Local literature

According to https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-17422894/learning-styles-in-the-

philippines Filipino students are visual and kinesthetic learners. Meaning, they prefer to process

information by seeing it. They like to receive information from pictures graphs, diagrams, and

visual media. The description fits the bill, millennials like to learn by watching and therefore

receive information. When students study, sometimes they google and want to how,why,what are

the functions of his/her subject. Most prefer watching or receive information from pictures,

rather than reading their study on a book. They find studying by watching online videos very

effective for them, they think learning from a video is easy and quite understandable. As

kinesthetic learners, Filipino students learn well through whole body involvement and direct

experience. They want to be as active as they can. Role play, field trips, grouping together with

fellow students to form the letters of the alphabet with their bodies, and becoming physically

involved in the thoughts expressed in poetry are examples of activities that help them learn.

Filipino students, least preferred perceptual modality is auditory. Strangely, Filipino students

tend not tobe persistent. They take frequent breaks while studying and often prefer to work on

several tasks simultaneously. They begin something, stay with it for a while, stop and do

something else, and later return to their earlier assignment.

 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The descriptive survey was used in this study. Descriptive survey

describes the emphasis current issues or conditions. The researchers chose

this because the study is done at the present time and is the most appropriate

for the title of the study. As a response to the statement of the problem, joining

a school organizations could have the effects on the academic performance of

the selected Laguna Northwestern College S.H. students.

Sampling Size

The sampling size of the study are 5-10 selected senior high school

students who are involved in school organization activities of school year 2017-2018.
Sampling Design

The researchers used purposive sampling because the researchers chose

the active members of school organizations in Laguna Northwestern College

school year 2017-2018. This sampling design was chosen because it is more

economical for the researchers.

Data Collection Technique

The data collection techniques that were used in this study are clerical

tools because the researchers want to measure the significant effect of joining

school organizations on the respondent’s academic performance. The

instruments used in this study are questionnaire method and library method.

The researcher’s distributed questionnaire to find out if there are effects

brought by school organization involvement, questionnaire method was chosen

because it is easy to conduct but can give necessary information that can help

the researcher in their study.

Statistical Treatment

The researcher will use the following tools:

FORMULA:

P = ______________ x 100

Where:

P = Percentage

F = Frequency

N = Number of respondents