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‘It's the end of the university as we know it (and I feel fine)’: the Generation Y student in higher education discourse

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 31; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/07294360.2011.559193

1469-8366

Jason Sternberg,

Digital Education and Society

This paper examines discussions of Generation Y within higher education discourse, arguing the sector's use of the term to describe students is misguided for three reasons. First, portraying students as belonging to Generation Y homogenises people undertaking higher education as young, middle-class and technologically literate. Second, speaking of Generation Y students allows constructivism to be reinvented as a ‘new’ learning and teaching philosophy. Third, the Generation Y university student has become a central figure in concerns about technology's role in learning and teaching. While the notion of the ‘Generation Y student’ creates the illusion that higher education institutions understand their constituents, ultimately, it is of little value in explaining young adults' educational experiences.