University of the Incarnate Word The Athenaeum Theses & Dissertations 5-2018 The Arrival of Generation Z on College Campuses Nicole Trevino University of the Incarnate Word, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at:https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds Part of theEducation Commons, and theSocial and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Trevino, Nicole, "The Arrival of Generation Z on College Campuses" (2018).Theses & Dissertations. 332. https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds/332 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Athenaeum. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Athenaeum. For more information, please [email protected]. THE ARRIVAL OF GENERATION Z ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES by NICOLE GUERRERO TREVINO A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the University of the Incarnate Word in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD May 2018 ii © 2018 Nicole Guerrero Trevino iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Have faith in your journey. Everything had to happen exactly as it did to get you where you’re going next! Mandy Hale I would like to offer my appreciation and acknowledgement to those individuals who supported me along this journey. First, I would like to thank my family, in particular my husband, my parents, and my sister. Without the love and support of my husband, I could not have completed the journey. His constant encouragement kept me going. I am thankful to my parents for instilling in me that faith, hard work, and patience will guide you through anything. To my sister, who cheered me along every step of the way. Next, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Norman St. Clair, my committee chair and the first person I met at the University of the Incarnate Word. It was by chance that we met 9 years ago during my campus visit. Had it not been for this meeting, I would not be here today. He has supported me in this journey from the start, always patient, always available to answer questions, and always reminding me to walk through the process one step at a time. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dean Sandy McMakin and Dr. Lisa Kirkpatrick. Dean McMakin was invested in my success from the start. I am so thankful for the time she made to walk with me through the literature and for the expertise that she shared with me in order to enhance my study. To Dr. Kirkpatrick who has been a mentor and an inspiration, I am so thankful for the countless hours she spent listening to me talk through my research and for guiding me through this process. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS—Continued Lastly, I would like to thank the University of the Incarnate Word community for the opportunity that you provided me. These experiences will forever live in my heart and will always influence the educator that I have become. Thank you. Nicole Guerrero Trevino v THE ARRIVAL OF GENERATION Z ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Nicole Guerrero Trevino, PhD University of the Incarnate Word, 2018 The purpose of the study was to understand the academic needs, desires, and expectations of Generation Z in relation to their college experience as perceived by educational professionals. Colleges and universities may experience diminishing enrollment and possible closures if college administrators fail to address the needs and expectations of Generation Z students. Generation Z is entering college with a set of different expectations than their predecessors and it will be important for university administrators to understand this generation in order to attract and retain them. Generation Z will enter college in the fall of 2018, research has shown that that their expectations are different, and it is important for university administrators to understand them in order to attract and retain them. The researcher sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What do teachers, counselors and administrators identify as effective strategies and services that foster student academic success? a. What are some of the more effective practices for working with Generation Z and why? b. What are some ineffective practices for working with Generation Z and why? 2. What do teachers, counselors and administrators identify as the expectations of Generation Z about their college experience? And, why do they perceive these to be their expectations? This qualitative study followed an interpretive design inquiry utilizing narrative inquiry protocol as the data collection methodology. The researcher followed interpretive design inquiry and narrative inquiry protocol because it aligned with the conceptual framework. Six participants vi were interviewed twice using a semi-structured interview format. In the first interview, participants were guided by an interview protocol asking them a series of questions related to their experiences as educators working with students and parents of this generation. During the second interview the participants were asked a second series of questions and member checks were completed to ensure accurate information had been gathered during the first interview (Marshall & Rossman, 2011; Merriam, 2009). Three layers were incorporated to analyze the data that were gathered from the interviews. The main data analysis technique was Yin’s (2011) five phases of analysis. The second layer of analysis that was Merriam’s (2002) recommendation of analyzing the data while transcribing. The final layer of analysis was Spradley’s (1980) steps for creating a domain analysis to help connect the field notes and observations in the compiling phase. The findings were shared by first identifying the factors that impacted the development of the student and contributed to their overall school experience. These factors created the eight major categories by which the conversations flowed (1) Expectations, (2) Norms, (3) Student Welfare, (4) Campus Safety, (5) Parental Involvement, (6) Learning Styles, (7) Technology, and (8) Student Characteristics. The first level of categories was based on comments that connected to the larger overarching theme of the student experience at school. After completing a second round of interviews with all of the participants, the researcher went back to steps 1-3 of Yin’s (2011) five phases of analysis. From here the researcher was able to drill down into the categories through the participant statements and identified five themes. The themes were student well-being, technology, parent involvement, flexible classroom modalities, and campus safety. vii For higher education professionals working with Generation Z students the following conclusions were made in association with the purpose statement and the focus of the inquiry as gathered from the participant interviews: (1) universities must take the time to research and understand Generation Z in order to prepare and be a Generation Z ready college; (2) universities must find a way to engage parents as partners in order to foster student academic success; (3) universities should research, review, analyze, and implement academic services and tools that support student success across the student experience for this generation; and (4) universities need to identify service models that provide support for overall student well-being. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO GENERATION Z ................................................................................... 1 History of Higher Education ............................................................................................ 2 Early education, B.C. – 1600s .............................................................................. 2 Colonial period, 1600s–mid–1700s ...................................................................... 3 American way, 1770s–1820s ............................................................................... 4 Diversity and adversity, 1840-1880 ...................................................................... 4 Captains of industry, 1880-1910 .......................................................................... 6 Alma mater, 1890s–1920s .................................................................................... 7 Expansion and reforms in higher education, 1920–1945 ....................................... 8 Golden age, 1945–1970 ....................................................................................... 9 Coming of age in America, 1970–2000 .............................................................. 10 Education in the 21st century, 2000–present....................................................... 12 Statement of the Problem............................................................................................... 14 Statement of Purpose ..................................................................................................... 16 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 16 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 17 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ........................................................................................... 18 Student Development Theories and Practices................................................................. 18 Generational Theory ...................................................................................................... 27 Generational Forecast .................................................................................................... 30 ix Table of Contents—Continued REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Generation X ................................................................................................................. 31 Traits and characteristics .................................................................................... 32 Leadership style ................................................................................................. 33 Values and perceptions ...................................................................................... 34 Parenting style ................................................................................................... 35 Generation Z ................................................................................................................. 36 Traits and characteristics .................................................................................... 36 Leadership style ................................................................................................. 42 Values and perceptions ...................................................................................... 42 Learning environments ...................................................................................... 44 Generation Z as adults........................................................................................ 45 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 48 Statement of Problem .................................................................................................... 48 Statement of Purpose ..................................................................................................... 49 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 49 Research Design ............................................................................................................ 49 Conceptual Framework.................................................................................................. 51 Research Perspective ..................................................................................................... 54 Site and Participant Selection ........................................................................................ 55 Site selection and access .................................................................................... 55