The generation gap and teaching and learning strategies at primary school level: A futuristic approach

Abstract

The world of the future will coincide with the dramatic and unprecedented developments in the fields of science, technology and information transmission. Living in such a world creates a large gap between the emerging generation of learners called the "alpha generation" and the previous generations, making conventional learning methods inefficient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of the emerging generation of learners and designing the appropriate teaching and learning strategies at primary school level. This research was based on the qualitative meta-analysis method using conventional content analysis and the data were analyzed by Atlas.ti8 software. In the results section, in the first step, the characteristics of the alpha generation have been identified and explained through nine categories. In the second step, the concepts and propositions related to teaching and learning were inferred in the form of seven categories. These categories were then used to develop teaching and learning strategies, appropriate for the alpha generation. Findings showed that the alpha generation tend to lead their learning, blur the boundaries between formal and informal learning, and replace the traditional one-way method of information transmission with the interactive ones. Finally, three main approaches were proposed to integrate and apply these strategies.

Keywords

• teaching and learning strategies
• digital age
• generation gap
• alpha generation
• primary school education