Aligning Teaching Methods to Characteristics of Millennials

Salvatore Ferraro, Montclair State University

Richard Peterson, Montclair State University

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to link classroom teaching methods to the characteristics

of Millennials. Millennials have been raised differently than previous generations that

affects the way they learn and how they perform in class. The Millennial generation

feels they can take on the world -- and win. They were raised with over-protective

parents who never let them experience failure, instead providing an overly safe and

nurturing environment. The parents planned daily activities with play dates when

millennials were young and with sports activities as they grew older. Playing and

learning in teams, having schedules of what to do and where to be was the

Millennials life. This has led to today’s students looking for ways to learn that may

differ from the traditional classroom environment crated by most instructors.

In addition to the literature review to determine key characteristics, a survey was

conducted involving millennial students and what motivates them about different

classes. Research indicates – and the students’ surveys support – the view that

millennial students want to be challenged, they want to learn. The ideal classroom for

Millennials should consist of the following attributes; a safe environment, use of

technology, quick feedback, working in teams, a check list of assignments, and a

supportive arena in which to flourish.

Literature Review

The most popular definition of the Millennials defines them as being born between

1980 and 2000. This is the most common age range, but in some definitions the

dates fluctuate a year or two. The Millennials have been raised differently than any

other generation and it shows. Millennials have a sense of entitlement, they have

never been allowed to fail at anything and very rarely been told they cannot

accomplish what they set out to do. In general, Millennials have embraced multi-

tasking for as long as they can remember and have always succeeded at everything

they have done in their lives. They enjoy being with their parents, respect authority,

follow rules, and want to do well in all of their undertaking.

Characteristics of a Millennial

What are the key characteristics of Millennials? They are sheltered, confident, like

short term goals, are team oriented multi-tasking, and tech savvy (Howe & Strauss,

2003). Millennials were sheltered while growing up. They were the group of children

who were the most protected by their parents. No longer the “latch key kids” as their

previous generations, this generation was never left alone and was always sheltered.

The house and car were child proofed to keep the kids safe. (Howe & Strauss, 2003).

The parents of the Millennials have been known as “helicopter parents”, this was due

to their always hovering around their children (Benfer & Shanahan , 2013) (Walker,

2009). They were highly protective in all aspects of their lives and fussed over

(Walker, 2009) (Litzenberg, 2010) (Bland, Melton, Welle, & Bigham, 2012) (Gorman,

Nelson, & Glassman, 2004) (Bracy, Bevill, & Roach, 2010). Because “helicopter

parents” made all the decisions for the Millennials, the Millennials have a hard time

with decision making skills and the expectations of the world seem unrealistic to

them. (Walker, 2009). In addition to the fear of making a decision because they did

not grow up doing that, it is also a concern that Millennials may not know how to

make decisions (Demirdjian, 2012).

Although they may lack some life lessons because their parents took on that

responsibility for them, over all Millennials are very confident. They have never been

allowed to fail and have been told they can achieve anything they want. In organized

events (e.g., sports, dance, karate) everyone walked away with a trophy that

recognized how good they were, hence, these kids were labeled as “Trophy Kids”

(Bracy, Bevill, & Roach, 2010). Never losing has given the Millennials a different

sense of success. By never letting them lose, they feel that just showing up

deserves a good grade in class and in life; not much effort is required. On the

positive side though, the Millennials are now attending college and entering the work

force with an unprecedented confidence of “I will succeed”.

The Millennials enjoy working on short term goals, which leads into completing long

term goals. Understanding that working on goals and having an education will

provide them want they want in life (Benfer & Shanahan , 2013) (Nikirk, 2012). By

taking on tasks that can bring about more immediate completion and small

successes, this group is motivated to take on the next step, and then the next step

until they have successfully completed the long range tasks that they set out for

themselves. This process of “stepping” through small tasks to ultimately arrive at the

conclusion of their long range task keeps them with a sense of accomplishment and

achievement on the way to final success.

Since early in life, Millennials have been team-oriented. Parents would setup play

dates with the other children, so have been playing in groups for as long as they can

remember. They expect team projects and enjoy learning in groups (Benfer &

Shanahan , 2013). From early in their life, Millennials have been involved in team

sports and group activities (McCurry & Martins, 2010). For Millennials, project based

learning provides the students the ability to learn in a group environment which will

enhance the learning and will foster critical thinking and problem solving, cognitive

engagement and increased interest in class (Ocak & Uluyol, 2010).

While growing up, the Millennials surfed the web, used instant messaging, accessed

Myspace and Facebook, created text messages, used smart phones and played

video games. Everything was moving at a fast pace. Technology needs to be

brought into the classroom in order to get and hold the students’ attention (McGlynn,

2008).

They are tech savvy and comfortable with technology (McCurry & Martins, 2010).

Having grown up with multiple forms of technology they feel very at ease using it

(Walker, 2009). The Millennials have been multi-tasking since they were small, they

get bored very easily if forced to focus on just one task at hand (Bracy, Bevill, &

Roach, 2010). They have been walking, texting, watching TV, reading every minute

of the day, and they need to be stimulated (Demirdjian, 2012).

As discussed by Howe and Strauss (2003),, the Millennials are comfortable with

authority, eager to please and enthusiastic to conform. They want to please those in

authority and desire to do a good job at everything they undertake, this includes

school. The Millennials will be the best educated generation, as their parents have

instilled how important education is to achieve a happy life (Howe, N. Strauss, W,

2003).

Millennials want feedback, as much as possible, and as fast as possible. Receiving

feedback quickly enables them to correct what they are doing so they can get a

better grade (Bracy, Bevill, & Roach, 2010). Accountability is essential to the

Millennials. Receiving feedback helps to keep them on track and to allow them to

know what is expected of them, how they are doing in that endeavor, and to give

them the opportunity to meet the requirements set before them.

Structure is also vital to the success of Millennials. Growing up with parents that

prepared their day, weeks, months and years for them, Millennials are comfortable

knowing what lies ahead of them. They need to know upfront what the tasks will be

and what they need to do to get it accomplished. (Benfer & Shanahan , 2013).

Millennials have been told what to do and when to do it during their entire life, and

expect clear and precise goals that they can achieve. (Fowler, 2004). They like

structure, direction and praise more than any other generation (Crone I. M., 2007)

and by using this in the classroom we can foster better learning environments and

arenas for their success. Using teamwork, technology, entertainment and excitement

allows the students to use different approaches to solutions (McCurry & Martins,

2010) (Nikirk, 2012) (Nikirk, 2012).

Summary of Literature Review

The review of the literature indicates that it is best to vary the type of technology used

in the classroom and with assignments. This should help the environment for

learning. Also, it is important to provide as much feedback as possible and the

classroom atmosphere needs to be relaxed, (Bracy, Bevill, & Roach, 2010). The

more guidance given, the more at ease the students feel and the greater their

willingness is to work (Roberts, Newman, & Schwartzstein, 2012). Millennials look for

consistency, reassurance, and reminders that they are on track; they do not like the

rules changing mid-way through the semester (Roberts, Newman, & Schwartzstein,

2012). Even though they are good at multi-tasking and taking on the challenges of

the world, their schedules have been set by their parents and therefore are

sometimes reluctant to doing their own scheduling. (Litzenberg, 2010). The

Millennials do not want to be trapped into a set schedule (Litzenberg, 2010). They

work at odd hours, doing homework any time of the day or night. As long as they

complete their tasks, they do not have a need to do it in a conventional timeslot.

Additionally, having a check list will help the students to stay on target (Litzenberg,

2010).

Student Survey Structure

In order to provide information concerning the sample group of students, the survey

consisted of the collection of demographics about the students, age, major, and class

status. The next section of the survey allowed students to complete open ended

questions that provided insight into how they perceive school and what they will gain

from attending college. In addition, the students were asked to describe their best

and worst classes they took while attending college. It is important to note we did not

care about the actual class taken, but rather what made them the best or worst class.

The last open ended question gave the opportunity to describe their perfect class.

Answers were recorded and then coded to systematize the results. In the last section

of the survey, students were asked to rank various teaching techniques (lecture,

hands on activities, interactive lessons, group projects, online training, PowerPoint

Presentation, etc.) used during the class. They were shown a Likert scale ranging

from 1 being the lowest to 10 being the highest.

Pilot Study

The pilot study was conducted with one class of 25 students in one classroom. The

study had 19 questions. The results did indicate there was a trend of how students

behaved in class and their characteristics as a generation. The study also revealed

support of the characteristics found in the literature review which showed that

Millennials enjoy working in groups, are technology savvy and bore easily. These

results indicated there was consistency between the characteristics identified in the

literature review and the responses of students to the survey questions.

Main Study

The study was conducted with 181 students. The data was collected from two

different schools: 1) large public university; 18,000 students, 2) small private

university; 2,000 students. All students volunteered to answer the survey. Students

from various majors and all four college class ranks were included in the study group.

The study was conducted over a period of six month, covering two semesters of the

school year. Four demographic characteristics were collected; 1) major; 2) grade; 3)

gender; 4) year born. The questionnaire was trimmed down to 13 questions from the

19 from the pilot study. Six questions were opened, requiring the students to provide

un-influenced answers. This concentrated the focus on the questions on the

motivation, expectations of college class and what was the best and worst classes

they took at college. The seven other questions were specific and required the

students to rate response based on a Likert scale. The theme of the Likert-scale

questions focused on how the classroom was conducted.

Results

The average age of the students was 21 years old. Of the 181 students who

participated in the study, six students that are considered outliners having been born

before 1980 and were removed from further study, the total number of students

which took part in the survey was 175. The respondents’ class rank ranged from

freshman to senior. Ninety six students were female, eighty five students were male.

80% of the students were from the large public university while 20% were from the

small private university.

Break down of number of students per class (count):

Freshman 46

Sophomore 51

Junior 61

Senior 17

Breakdown by major (percentage):

Accounting / Finance 34%

Business 33%

Marketing 12%

Communication 4%

Information Technology 2%

Psychology 2%

Undeclared 7%

Results from the Open Ended Q

The open ended questions were coded looking for common words and themes within

the answers. After coding the questions and eliminating responses that were

answered incorrectly, the results of each question was converted into a percentage

of all the useable answers. The first question asked was “Why Go to College?”. The

majority of the students (47%) replied that they wanted a career or to earn a degree.

Based on the characteristics of the Millennials, this item fits in with building

confidence. By attending college, this increased their confidence that they will have a

career in the workforce. Money ranked 4th of the 7 answers categories. This also

aligns itself with the Millennials who seem to value happiness over money. They

would rather take a lower paying job, then take a high paying job they did not like.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30% 28%

19%

14%12%

7%3%

2%

Why Go to College

career degree job money family

success grades

The Millennials expectation on attending college was to learn 27%, this fits with

building confidence. The second highest ranking category was 22% of the students

felt the classes would be difficult and they would have to work hard to get good

grades.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%27%

22%

7% 5% 5% 5%3% 3%

Expectations of class

learn and engage difficult easynone challenging real worldprofessor required

The biggest impact on what they liked about school was the professor. Have a good

professor, have a good class, have a bad professor, have a bad class. The

professor’s impact on the students is affected by more than one of the

Characteristics of the Millennials. The professor represents; close to parents,

shelters, structure, and authority. Students want to feel safe and that they are being

treated fair. Their parents have always treated them fairly, they expect their professor

to do the same.

10%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%22%

19%

10%8%

3%

Liked most in class

professor interactive majorreal world challenging

Quotes from students about classes they liked:

“Get everyone involved“

“Easy to talk to, interesting, fun, flexible, want students to pass“

“In class problems, interactive classroom”

“Lectures, group projects, class activities”

The worst classes were those where they did not feel any connection with the

professor. Get a professor that does not understand their need for structure,

closeness to parents, shelters, and authority is going to be bad. Classes that are

lecture only are also not good for Millennials. They are an interactive and social

group and lectures will bore them.

A confirming finding was that while Millennials are tech-savvy, they identified online

format for classes to be part of the worst class category. This did not make sense

initially. However, what can be drawn from this is that it goes against the structure

characteristics of this group and that they prefer to work in groups. Structure and

groups are more preordained in them than being tech-savvy. As for the instructors of

the “worst classes”, the Millennials expressed their dislike for professor who did not

care about them.

Quotes for students about classes they did not like:

“Lecture only”

“Not explaining”

“Does not care about students”

“Professor does not engage students”

50%

13%

3%

Worst class

professor lectures online

The perfect class described by the Millennials has no surprises in what is most

important: is interactive, has group projects, is well structured, has a caring and

engaging professor, and is hands on. These all fit with the characteristics of the

Millennials. Being interactive is critical because they are multi-taskers and very tech-

savvy. Most of their life they have been using smart phones and running from activity

to activity, so to ask students to sit for three hours for a lecture with no interactivity

will results in students being bored and not paying attention. This generation has

been involved in group activities since early childhood and it is a sense of comfort for

them. They see success and teamwork going hand in hand. Likewise, their parents

planned all activities for them and scheduled what needed to be done and by when.

Due to this, they like structure and they need it in the classroom. They do not adjust

quickly or well to change. The desire to be hands on comes from the tech-savvy

group and need to be active, not just sit and listen.

The best run classes consisted of professors that understood the Millennials and

embrace the way they think. Millennials want a professor they can relate to and, in

many cases, that reminds them of their parents. The use of group projects during

class, keeps the students involved and interested, ensuring the students understand

the material. The “best class” was interactive with the professor, interesting, had

group projects, was informative, and related to real life.

21%

19%

16%

6%3%

Perfect class

interactive group projectsstructured professorhands on

The rating of the classroom indicates that being interactive (7.1) and working in

groups (6.8) are most important to students. The use of PowerPoints (6.6) ranked

third, falling into the interactive. Hands on (6.5) allowed the students to multitask.

Online score (6.4) ranks lower than other sections. This most likely comes from

students’ value of other characteristics more than just being tech-savvy. Working in

groups outside (6.3) of class ranked low, this is most likely due to the importance in

having things structured and this outweighed the team concept. The lowest ranking

category was lectures only (5.6), this is the least liked method of teaching for the

students. This is tied to both their characteristics of multi-tasking and being team

oriented.

Lectures only

Groups Projects

Online

Hands on

PPP

Group Projects during class

Interactive

5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5

5.6

6.3

6.4

6.5

6.6

6.8

7.1

RATINGs ABOUT CLASSROOM

Summary:

The Millennial generation has been brought up differently than previous generations.

The world is smaller (due to technology) and more opportunities are available.

Millennials have one of the highest rate of students attending college and they learn

and expect to be treated differently. They do not feel they are entitled but have been

taught to reach for the stars. They have a “cannot fail” attitude and this comes across

in everything. They respect authority and want to achieve. They like to play by the

rules. Millennials do not like when the rules change, they want to know when

something is due. They get bored easily and are good multi-takers. They want to

work on projects and class assignments at their leisure, even if it is two in the

morning.

Recommendations for the Classroom:

The perfect class for the Millennials incorporates the following: technology, a clear

precise direction for the class, freedom to do the work on their own, group projects,

check list of what is due, and learn by doing. Also, providing feedback, being

supportive, giving them respect, letting them work in teams, including the use of

technology, and supplying fast and accurate feedback.

In the classroom, students want to learn. The Millennials get bored with just a lecture.

They need to be stimulated. The use of technology in the classroom is important to

prevent from losing the students. This can be achieved by incorporating videos,

Internet sites and other technology. Lectures are an important part of learning and in

many classes is the only forum. By incorporating technology professors can get the

subject across and still keep them engaged. It is important to include videos into the

lecture since just having a PowerPoint slide show will bore them. For long lectures,

try to break them up into smaller sections, not longer than an hour. Have students

work on a group project for 5 – 10 minutes relevant to the topic and report back to the

class. This will help them to learn by doing and not just listening. The Millennials

have received feedback from parents and coaches their entire lives, they want this

feedback on their class assignments as well. They want it quick, so they can make

adjustments for the next assignment. They use the feedback to determine how they

are doing in the class. They will check their grades frequently and want to know why

the grade is not what they expected. Feedback is essential; students like to hear how

they are doing. The sooner the feedback and the more detailed it is the better.

Be supportive; they have grown up with the most supportive parents and expect this

to occur in school. Millennials have grown up working in teams, they are comfortable

and enjoy it. Create a situation which will incorporate working in teams and

presenting the data to the class.

Homework provides students to the opportunity to practice what they have learned.

Homework will also re-enforce the learning objective of the class. Providing students

with a check list of all homework assignments allows the students to see what is due

and when it is expected. This allows them to plan out their days, weeks and

semester, keeping them from being overwhelmed.

Conclusion

Is it possible to have the perfect classes for Millennials? Not really. Certain subjects

must be taught in specific ways. However, the more the class is structured in a way

that Millennials respond to, the greater the increase in the learning process.

Millennials want to learn, they get bored easily, and so keeping the class interesting

and moving is a key part of helping the Millennials learn. The class structure should

be inviting to the students to ensure they feel safe and have a check list for them to

follow. Millennials enjoy working in teams and with technology and bringing these into

the classroom is very beneficial. Grades and feedback are also very important to

them. Feedback back should be quick and allow them to make improvements.

Below are the characteristics which should be used in the classroom to optimize the

attention of the Millennials generation:

• Sheltered - Parents known as “helicopter parents”, highly protective of

their children. Everything was child proofed to provide maximum safety.

• Confident - As children they have never failed at anything. Also known

as “trophy kids” everyone who played received a trophy. Never losing

has provided a sense of success.

• Short term goals - They are easy to complete and build confidence. The

use of short term goals leads to the completion of long term goals.

Helps keep Millennials on track. Provides a sense of accomplishment

• Team oriented - Ever since they were young they have had play dates

and enjoyed the company of friends and family. Most have been

playing on organized team sports. Working in groups provides better

learning opportunities for them.

• Close to parents - Parents are part of their lives and help make major

decisions, Millennials enjoy spending time with their parents.

• Tech Savvy -They have grown up using the web and are comfortable

with the use of computers and smart phones. They are not afraid of

technology and embrace the use of it.

• Respect authority - They want to please as long as they feel they are

treated fairly.

• Feedback - As much and often as possible, they want to know where

they stand and how to improve. Millennials want to know how they are

doing so they can adjust to do better.

• Structure - Vital to their success. Their parents have been planning their

daily activities and keeping them on track. They want to know what and

when things must be done.

• Multi-Tasking - Have been doing many things their entire live; smart

phone, reading, watching TV.

By understanding this generation and helping to incorporate new techniques into our

curriculums, we can help the Millennials to succeed beyond even their own high

expectations. It is our job as educators to bring our subjects to life and to help our

students to embrace them. By having better insights into this generation of students,

we too can become more successful in our efforts to expanding higher education.

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